Unhappy with
council decision

On Feb. 14, the city of T.O. Planning Commission approved the construction of a 40,000-square-foot Sport Chalet in Conejo Valley Plaza. On April 5, the city council heard the neighbors around the Conejo Valley Plaza appeal against this project. The deal made between the city council and Sport Chalet planners was to cover the pool with a canvas-type cover and for the students to load and unload their scuba equipment in the front of the store in order not disturb the surrounding neighbors.

You can bet that all of the surrounding neighbors will make sure that this is done or phone calls will be made to the appropriate people, including all the members on the city council who made this lousy deal.

It is more than just the pool noise. 1. It was also traffic concerns for Moorpark Road (despite claims by) the traffic department (that) said there would on be a very minimal traffic increase. 2. Removal of trees in the rear of the store to make room for the larger footprint and for customer parking to accommodate the required parking. 3. Late notices of (the) planning commission meeting. Some notices were delivered two days after the meeting. 4. And especially the type of business in the wrong zoning. Conejo Valley Plaza is zoned as a neighborhood shopping center and in no way does this type of business fit into the description.

How did the property owner of this section of the plaza get this project approved? They paid for the under-grounding of electrical wires on Moorpark Road. That was their influence to get such a large store into the neighborhood shopping center.

Our $700 appeal was a tiny drop in the bucket and was no match for the tens of thousand of dollars paid by the property owner.

You can bet that my neighbors, my wife and I will not be shopping at Sport Chalet. We would all rather spend the gas money only to shop at Sportmart.

Jim Shelley

Thousand Oaks