Thousand Oaks Extends Ban on Self-Storage Facilities Near Freeway : Planning: Westoaks Self Storage, which has its eyes on a site, is exempted. An engineering firm that wanted to build offices nearby may back out.

Ronan Engineering seemed sure to move its corporate headquarters from Woodland Hills to Thousand Oaks, until the company found out about its potential new neighbor: a self-storage company trying to build on the land next door.

Now the city, responding to the complaints of Ronan officials, is revisiting the issue of whether to allow storage facilities along the Ventura Freeway.

The City Council voted Tuesday to extend a moratorium on new storage facilities, giving staff time to complete a study of the issue. But the council exempted the company that wants to locate next to the Ronan site, saying that outfit--Westoaks Self Storage--has already dealt with the city in good faith.

“I think this city needs to send a message out that if you follow the rules, we’re not going to change the rules,” Mayor Pro Tem Andrew Fox said.

But the decision may have repercussions. “It is likely that Ronan will be looking at other sites, starting now,” said Charles Cohen, Ronan’s legal representative.

It’s a question, council members say, of choosing which uses are best for the limited number of building sites left along the freeway. And a question of whether Westoaks Self Storage will be able to build the facility its principals say the area needs. And, perhaps, a question of whether a corporate headquarters employing 250 people will come to Thousand Oaks.

Douglas Hewitson, Ronan’s chief financial officer, said the company needs room to expand, more room than its current headquarters in the Warner Center can provide. The 36-year-old firm--which makes industrial control systems and sells to such clients as Exxon and Southern California Edison--wants to build a two-story, 100,000-square-foot headquarters just south of the freeway between Hampshire Road and Westlake Boulevard.

On the adjacent lot, Westoaks Self Storage wants to open a six-building, 600-unit storage facility for commercial and private customers. Hewitson said that when Ronan first considered the location, the firm expected its neighbors to be other corporations, not a storage complex.

“We don’t have anything against self-storage,” he said. But, “when you’re looking to locate a corporate headquarters, you want to be surrounded with like businesses.”

Dennis Geiler, a partner in Westoaks, said his firm and the city have been discussing the proposed facility since last July. The facility, he said, would make an excellent neighbor--it would add little traffic to the local roads and would look much like a corporate building.

Besides, Geiler added, zoning along the freeway permits facilities storing anything from cars to farm equipment.

Although the city’s planning staff raised several concerns about the project in December and said it might not be the best use for the property, Geiler said the project has been redesigned to take into account those complaints. Plans now call for the buildings to stand at least 40 feet from the freeway. Trees and mounds covered with bushes would screen much of the complex from passersby.

Ronan took its concerns to the city, and on May 23 the council approved a temporary moratorium on new storage projects along the freeway. The moratorium put Westoaks’ application on hold.

Geiler said Tuesday he felt his company was being singled out at the request of a powerful businessman.

“If they were thinking about changing the zoning, why did they allow us to go this far, spend this much time and this much money?” Geiler said.

Councilwoman Elois Zeanah agreed. “The proposed moratorium resulted only after the developer’s attorney requested it.”

She said the architectural design of the proposed storage facility would fit smoothly into the neighborhood. “I think it’s beautiful,” she said.

Councilwoman Judy Lazar said she sympathized with Westoaks’ situation, but said the moratorium was appropriate. “We’re a city that has paid particular attention to its appearance from the major roadways,” she said.

The few parcels of open land left along the freeway, she said, would be better used by companies that could employ area residents and thereby cut commuter traffic.

“That property along the freeway is really prime employment land, and to utilize it for self-storage seems to be not the best use,” Lazar said.

The matter now goes to the Planning Commission for a public hearing.