AGOURA HILLS : Family Center Firm Asks to Delay Appeal

The applicant for an entertainment center that was rejected by the Agoura Hills Planning Commission has asked that a hearing on his appeal of the decision be postponed.

Erik Rameson of Santa Barbara-based Family Entertainment told the city in a letter that he needs time to “adequately prepare and respond to the city’s concerns.” The appeal was scheduled to be heard by the City Council on Wednesday.

Rameson wants to build an entertainment complex on the north side of the Ventura Freeway at the corner of Canwood Street and Derry Avenue. The project would include a go-cart track and a 36-hole miniature golf course, bumper-boat pond and video arcade.

The Planning Commission rejected the project after a hearing in April, saying it would not fit in with the neighborhood, which is a mixture of commercial and residential.

Interim City Manager David Anderson said officials told Family Entertainment that the project would have a better chance of being approved if it were located in the city’s entertainment corridor on the south side of the freeway.

But the developer, Anderson said, insisted on the Canwood Street site, saying it would be more visible from the freeway.

Rameson could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Agoura Hills-based developer Vance Moran is seeking a partner for an entertainment center on a 375-acre plot at Kanan and Agoura roads. He reportedly approached Family Entertainment but was turned down, and said he has been negotiating with another developer. Moran is also seeking city permits to build a Mann Theatre complex in the entertainment corridor.

Acting community development director Mike Kamino said the council will not be able to take up the matter again until July 12 at the earliest.