Borchard Road Work Nearing Completion

Construction on the extension of Borchard Road has resumed, and the developer of the $700-million Dos Vientos community expects the work to be finished by the end of this week.

Surveyors visited the site Sept. 28, only hours after a judge in Ventura ruled in favor of the developers in a suit against the city of Thousand Oaks and citizens groups seeking to block the road’s construction. By Friday, bulldozers and other heavy construction vehicles had begun moving earth to grade the final 300 feet of the road.

A representative for the developer, Operating Engineers Pension Trust of Pasadena, said that work probably will be completed in several days.

Spokesman Richard Hosten said the developer resumed work immediately, both to avoid the upcoming rainy season and to keep construction costs from escalating.

The City Council had approved the road at a 12% grade in 1996--7% higher than city codes allow. A traffic report earlier this year deemed the grade dangerously steep and prompted Newbury Park residents to protest before the City Council, which issued a stop-work order pending further study.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge David W. Long lifted the order last week, holding that the city had already approved the road and that Operating Engineers had a legal right to finish construction.

The council, meanwhile, is scheduled to meet in closed session today to review its defeat in court and contemplate what action to take now that construction has resumed.

While completion of construction represents a major defeat for those looking to block the 12% grade, attorneys representing two citizens groups said they will continue their fight by challenging the developer agreement that gives Operating Engineers permission to build homes.