Parks Seeks Hearing on Borchard Road Plan
Concerned that the steep slope of a proposed extension to Borchard Road could be dangerous to Newbury Park residents, City Councilwoman Linda Parks is calling for a public hearing on whether the road should be redesigned.
“I know we can do better,” she said. “I’m hearing experts coming forward with information that . . . the city should consider a redesign to make it safer.”
The City Council gave preliminary approval to the extension in July 1996, allowing the road, which will lead to the massive Dos Vientos Ranch project, to be built on a 12% grade instead of a 5% grade. At the time, city staff members argued that the 5% grade would cause more grading, and, thus, more of a visual scar in the hillside.
By comparison, parts of the Conejo Grade are on a 15% incline.
The City Council already is scheduled to hear a staff report about the nuts and bolts of the extension within a month, said interim City Manager MaryJane V. Lazz. But Parks said she wants a public hearing instead, during which experts and citizens alike could speak.
Many residents worry that such a steep road will become a speedway, endangering schoolchildren who cross Borchard Road each day.
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