State dictates more housing for T.O.

In repsonse to a state requirement that the city provide zoning for 1,847 new housing units, the Thousand Oaks City Council on Nov. 18 unanimously approved a resolution that opens the door to the possible development of about 400 new dwellings in three locations not originally cited in the city's General Plan.

California's Regional Housing Needs Assessment calculates anticipated population growth and forces cities- - even ones like Thousand Oaks that are at buildout- - to make room for possible future residents regardless of well-designed general plans or local laws.

"It's appalling the state is shoving these numbers down our throat and not allowing local control," Mayor Jacqui Irwin said.

Since high density wasn't previously considered in the new residential sites, those areas may not offer recreational facilities for children, other amenities that enhance the quality of life for people who live there or infrastructure to support newcomers, said council members.

Land currently zoned for single-family dwellings in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Thousand Oaks is being rezoned for residential planned developments with up to 30 dwelling units per acre. This applies to 0.78 acre on the south side of Los Feliz Drive, affecting addresses 1816, 1818 and 1892, and 2.2 acres on the west side of Conejo School Road at Chiquita Lane.

Some residents expressed their concerns.

"I wonder how you and your singlefamilyhome neighborhoods would react to having a 75-unit, three-story apartment complex placed right in the middle of your homes," said Barbara Warkentien during public comments.

The council passed an amendment to the General Plan land use element from industrial to highdensity residential, 15 to 30 dwellings per acre, and an amendment to the Rancho Conejo Specific Plan from employment park to high-density.

This affects 5 acres on the west side of Conejo Center Drive, about 500 feet north of Conejo Spectrum Street; and 5.5 acres on the west side of Conejo Center Drive, about 950 feet north of Conejo Spectrum Street.

The council agreed to adopt resolutions to initiate General Plan amendments to change the land use element from lowdensity residential with 2 to 4.5 dwellings per acre to medium density with 4.5 to 15 dwellings per acre on 1.2 acres of land on the south side of Hillcrest Drive, about 350 feet east of Quinta Vista Drive.

It also voted to allow entitlement applications for a proposed 60-unit affordable housing project on that site to be processed concurrently with the zone change application when it goes before the city's planning commission.