Project at Erbes Road, T.O. Boulevard hits snag

Construction site at Erbes and T.O. Boulevard BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers The developer of an upscale shopping center on Thousand Oaks Boulevard near Erbes Road has once again been asked by the city to stop the noisy grading that’s been going on for a year. This time, however, all work has been halted.

For the past three weeks it’s been quiet at the site while the developer and the city try to work out a new plan to complete the project.

The problem facing the developer, RDD Properties of Newbury Park, is an extremely hard rocky hillside made up of blue rock, which resists traditional grading techniques, including bulldozers and backhoes. The developer has been using a hydraulic ram process. The resulting noise has brought numerous complaints to city hall from nearby residents and business owners.

The grading was supposed to have been completed in March, but the challenges the developer faced in breaking down the rock slowed down the project.

The city made several requests of RDD to create a realistic timetable for the project. In July, the city reduced the developer’s work hours in an effort to minimize the noise. In August, the city ordered RDD to stop grading and find another, less noisy way to clear the rock.

“They came back and told us it (the grading) would be completed by Oct. 10 or 12,” said Tom Pizza, city engineering division manager.

On Oct. 12 the grading was still not complete. The city sent the developer a letter to immediately stop “the public nuisance.” City staff and the developer met on Oct. 20 to discuss options.

“We’re working on a plan that the city hopefully can live with,” said Roger Meyer, co-owner of RDD Properties. Among the possibilities is the construction of an earth berm between the street and the hammering to help contain the sound of the hammering. A different procedure, known as low detonation, will be tested on Nov. 4. It involves drilling holes into the rock and inserting a chemical to break down the rock.

“We’re very sorry we’re making this noise,” Meyer said. “We’re not happy about it. We had no idea of the hardness of the rock.”

Meyer says that more than 90 percent of the site has been graded and that there is only about 6,000 yards of rock left to remove. Pizza agrees that the developer has accomplished a lot, but that there may still be several months of work left.

The site is a little over two acres, more than half of which has been dedicated to the city for use as a greenbelt. The rest will contain an 18,000-square-foot retail center, which will include four to eight stores.

As a result of the city’s stop order, Meyer said, tenants of the center have pulled out of the project.

“That really hurt us,” Meyer said.

To try to save time and money, the developer has decided to pave the parking lot with concrete rather than asphalt, which requires more grading. The shopping center has been redesigned around some of the rock, and the back wall of rock will be used to support the back of the building.

“I’d really like to get it finished,” Meyer said. “We’re jumping through whatever hoops the city wants us to.”