Council Approves Plans for Hidden Creek Ranch

The largest proposed development in city history passed another major hurdle Wednesday, paving the way for a flood of residents that could eventually increase the city’s population by one-third.

After expected criticism by environmentalists, the City Council approved the 3,221-home Hidden Creek Ranch development by a 3-0 vote.

Mayor Patrick Hunter, who opposed the project in a July 15 vote, was out of town and did not attend Wednesday night’s meeting. Councilwoman Debbie Teasley abstained from voting because of a conflict of interest.

The development agreement, amended in an effort to win the support of Councilman John Wozniak, calls for devising plans for a traffic bypass of crowded California 118, a ban on the simultaneous grading of homes and golf courses, and a nearly 2,000-acre buffer zone of open space between the project and Simi Valley.

Several council members credited the revised agreement between the city and the developer, Messenger Investment Co. of Irvine, for their support.

“I think it’s well crafted,” said Councilman Chris Evans, emphasizing the requirement that Messenger help plan the long-sought road project. The agreement prevents the company from fully developing all its homes until construction begins on the bypass.

“I’m extremely pleased after 8 1/2 years of hard work,” said Gary Austin, vice president of Messenger Investment. “It’s a very tough agreement. It has a large number of safeguards for the city.”

The project now awaits the blessing of the Local Agency Formation Commission, a county agency that must approve Moorpark’s annexation of the 4,300-acre site.

The agreement also sets a multimillion-dollar precedent that other developers may find hard to match.

In all, the city extracted nearly $16,000 per dwelling unit in new fees to be used to fund a variety of public needs, including traffic improvements and community services. Commercial operations that are part of the project are to pay similar fees based on square footage.

With the planned 3,221 homes, the development would pay at least $51 million in such fees.

“A precedent has been set with this development,” Community Development Director Nelson Miller said before the meeting. “These fees would potentially be discussed with other significant developers in the area.”

The developer still faces a variety of obstacles, including a possible court challenge if a ballot measure backed by Save Our Open Space and Agricultural Resources passes in November. If passed, the measure would require voter approval of projects such as Hidden Creek Ranch.

It is unclear whether the measure would apply retroactively, however, and the county formation commission plans to address the annexation issue by September.

Hidden Creek Ranch has long been dogged by opponents who fear it will lead to urban sprawl and an end to Moorpark’s small-town appeal. Some of those opponents were on hand Wednesday night to criticize the development on a variety of grounds, including funding for schools and the handling of the open-space buffer.

Paul Edelman, deputy division chief for the nonprofit Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, said he opposes the way the developer is transferring key open space.

According to the agreement, the transfer of 1,700 acres of open space must be structured to give Messenger “the maximum tax benefits per year over the life of the project.”

“I have never seen a developer get tax benefits out of open space. Not once,” Edelman said.