Property Owner Seeks to Rezone Sports Site

The owners of a defunct tennis club north of The Oaks mall will go before the Thousand Oaks City Council tonight seeking a zone change that would permit 38 townhomes on the site.

T.A. Partners in Westlake Village, which represents the Los Angeles investment group that owns the property, first asked the city more than a year ago for permission to tear down the shuttered Thousand Oaks Racquet Club and change the zoning of the 4.2-acre property to make it consistent with the surrounding neighborhood.

However, residents near the racquet club and former patrons complained about the loss of tennis courts and other recreational facilities in the area and urged the Planning Commission to reject the zone change, which it did on Jan. 28, 2002. The commission suggested that the developer meet with nearby homeowner associations and attempt to work out a more acceptable plan.

The racquet club, built in the mid-1960s as an amenity for surrounding condominium complexes, originally thrived but struggled for more than 10 years before closing in 1999. The current owner bought the property in December 2001 in hopes of changing the zoning to medium-density residential, which permits as many at 15 units per acre, or up to 63 units for the property.

“We’ve been patient,” said Fred Gaines, a lawyer representing the landowner. “This tennis club is out of business, it’s not coming back, and we think it’s time to give us zoning that allows us to develop the property in an appropriate way.”

T.A. Partners has made a tentative deal with the largest of three nearby homeowner associations to permit as many as 100 of their members access to two tennis courts, a pool, spa and fitness facility planned for the new development.

The company also has offered a similar arrangement to the smaller associations. The members of one group are split on the rezoning issue, and members of the other group oppose any loss of recreation or open space.

Thousand Oaks had been scheduled to hear the appeal of the Planning Commission decision last fall, but action was delayed while the city wrapped up a comprehensive study of affordable housing. Though the developer hasn’t yet proposed any affordable units, the report said the site could accommodate as many as 60 units targeting lower-income households. Gaines said his client would consider building affordable units if more than the 40 recommended by staff are allowed.

The council also had city staff investigate whether any public recreational use would be feasible at the location -- east of Lynn Road, between Hillcrest Drive and Tuolumne Avenue -- but there was no interest from the city’s Recreation and Park District, which already manages 27 tennis courts and several swimming pools. Additionally, the school district has jurisdiction over 26 courts and there are 59 private courts in the area.

The public hearing on the zoning appeal will be held at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd.