Plans for 216-Home Project Advancing, Developer Says

A proposed 216-home development that has faced extinction a number of times is showing new signs of life.

Developer Paul Bollinger says his plans to build homes and two golf courses on 655 acres in north Moorpark are moving forward now that he has found a construction company and is near to acquiring some of the land. Bollinger will brief the City Council tonight on the status of his project.

At least one council member, Chris Evans, is lauding the developer’s news.

“I think if in fact what Mr. Bollinger is saying is accurate, it appears to me he’s made remarkable progress in the last few weeks,” Evans said. But it’s “unfortunate that it takes intense scrutiny by council to get this type of progress going.”

Council members have in the past expressed impatience with delays that have beset the project since it won their approval in April 1996.

The city has warned a number of times that slow progress could mean rezoning the land to significantly cut the number of homes that could be built.

Among other factors, the lack of a builder and lack of land ownership have hindered the project.

At least two other construction companies--Shea Homes of Walnut and Centex Homes of Dallas--backed out of the project before Bollinger, a Thousand Oaks developer, signed a contract in mid-February with a nationwide company, Toll Brothers Inc., to build the homes.

The developer does not yet own any of the land on the 655-acre site between Walnut Canyon and Grimes roads. But Bollinger said Tuesday he expects to finalize on Thursday a purchase agreement with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns about half the land.

In a letter last month to the city, however, Bollinger said he expected to have the agreement finalized by tonight’s meeting.

Buying the other half of the property, owned by West Oaks 27 partnership--which is controlled by a federal bankruptcy court--will depend on whether the city is willing to give out a grading permit, Bollinger said.

“Everything is predicated on the city issuing a grading permit,” Bollinger said.

Evans said that idea was “ludicrous.”

“The city is certainly not bound to give grading permits so he can purchase land,” Evans said.

Council members have said they want a development agreement with Bollinger after he secures the property. They said they don’t want to give out grading permits only to have him start the project, run into financial difficulties and back out.

“We want a development agreement signed to know the residents are protected,” Evans said.