City transfers open space to conservation agency
By Sophia Fischer  sfischer@theacorn.com

Thirty-three open space parcels comprising 746 acres in Thousand Oaks may soon be under the oversight and care of the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency.

The Thousand Oaks City Council has approved the transfer of the land from city ownership to COSCA. The agency, which met last night, was expected to discuss and approve the transfer. Even with COSCA consent, it will take several months for deeds and other paperwork to be completed, according to COSCA manager Kristin Foord.

If approved, the number of acres under COSCA ownership will jump from 7,552 to 8,298. That represents 24 percent of the city's land area, making COSCA the largest property owner in Thousand Oaks, according to Foord. COSCA is a joint powers agency between the city and the Conejo Recreation and Park District, formed in 1995 to manage and protect open space in the city.

The parcels were already protected open space, some of them adjacent to land COSCA already owns. The city had accumulated the property over the past few years in various ways, including dedications, purchases and arrangements with developers. The city has transferred open space to COSCA on a regular basis over the years. The last mass transfer took place in 2001.

"This is a housekeeping measure to help consolidate the management of open space," Foord said.

Other open space parcels are yet to be acquired in order to complete what city officials have often referred to over the years as the "ring of green" around Thousand Oaks. Those parcels are scattered around the city and are privately owned, Foord said. Including COSCA land, there are a total of 14,800 acres of open space in Thousand Oaks.

"The city and COSCA have gone a long way to accomplish our goal," Foord said. "We're almost there, but it's not complete."

The property being transferred includes 352 acres of the Western Plateau, which Foord called a particularly sensitive area. The land, which had been slated for 147 homes, was acquired by the city in 2003.

The other transferred parcels involve 31 acres in the Conejo Ridge area near the Civic Arts Plaza; 95 acres in the Hillcrest open space area near Conejo School Road; 55 acres in the McCrea open space area near the 23 Freeway; 20 acres in the Vallecito open space area near Dos Vientos; 170 acres in the Woodridge open space area near the city's border with Simi Valley; and 23 acres in the Mount Clef area, which Foord described as "a vitally important wildlife corridor." That property was purchased by the city for $2.5 million from private owners after years of negotiations that included the construction of one luxury home adjacent to the open space.