Developers may grade before filing project maps

The City Council voted to amend the municipal code to allow developers to grade property prior to recording final project maps with the county.

It takes more than 40 days for the county to record the final maps, and Thousand Oaks is the only city in the county that doesn't allow grading and construction to begin before that is done, public works director Mark Watkins said.

The city has controls in place to prevent premature or inappropriate grading: All permits and allotments must first be approved, grading must be approved by the public works and community development departments, and bonds are required to ensure that grading is completed and to restore sites to a stable condition if grading isn't completed. In addition, landscaping of manufactured slopes is required to protect from erosion and for aesthetic purposes, Watkins said.

The council voted 4-1, with Claudia Bill-de la Peña voting against.

"I will not be able to support the motion because I feel we have a system in place, namely the approval or disapproval by the planning commission, to do this," Claudia Bill-de la Peña said.

"What we're looking at is a very awkward, potentially lengthy process that exists right now. That coupled with we're not really talking about large parcels of land left in our community, we're talking about fairly small, discrete areas," Councilmember Tom Glancy said.

- Nancy Needham