AVE Project Appeal to City Council is Scheduled for September 8th

CITY OF AGOURA HILLS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
CASE NO. AVDP-01161-2015 and VTTM No. 73881

NOTE: This meeting is being conducted utilizing video conferencing and electronic means consistent with the Governor’s State of California Executive Order N-29-20, dated March 17, 2020, regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The live stream video and indexed archive of the meeting(s) are available on the City’s website at agourahillscity.org by clicking on the “Watch Meetings Online” button. In accordance with Executive Order N-29- 20, the public may only view the meeting online and/or by television; public attendance in the Council Chambers will not be permitted. The live stream video can be viewed the night of the meeting via Zoom or on the City’s website (link above).

THE CITY OF AGOURA HILLS HAS SCHEDULED A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER AN APPEAL OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION’S DECISION TO DENY THE AVE PROJECT APPLICATION. YOUR ATTENDANCE AND COMMENTS ARE WELCOME AT THE HEARING.

APPLICANT: California Commercial Investment Companies

CASE NO: AVDP-01161-2015 and VTTM No. 73881

LOCATION: Southeast Corner of Agoura and Kanan Roads
(AIN 2061-031-020)

ZONING DESIGNATION: Planned Development (PD) (Agoura Village Specific Plan)

REQUEST: Consideration of Appeal of the Planning Commission’s denial of
the AVE Project, involving an application for an Agoura Village Development Permit (AVDP), including an Oak Tree Permit, to construct a mixed-use development of 45,235 square feet of retail/restaurant space, 3,765 square feet of office space, a 70,000 square-foot 120-room hotel, 1,370 square-foot residential community building/clubhouse, and 118 dwelling units for multi-family residential use with associated amenities, parking and landscaping; and appeal of the Planning Commission denial of a Vesting Tentative Tract Map to subdivide a single parcel into seven parcels.

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per Public Resources Code §21080(b)(5) and CEQA Guidelines
§15270 (Projects Which Are Disapproved).

REVIEWING BODY: City Council (by Video Conference)

DATE OF HEARING: Wednesday, September 8, 2021

TIME OF HEARING: 6:30 P.M., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard

LOCATION OF HEARING: Note: In-person attendance will not be permitted
City of Agoura Hills Civic Center - Council Chambers 30001 Ladyface Court
Agoura Hills, California 91301

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: All interested parties are cordially invited to participate in a Public Hearing either by submitting written public comments by email or participating live at the meeting using Zoom. To submit written public comments, please include “Public Hearing” in the subject line and email to comments@agourahillscity.org by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, and your comments will be distributed to the City Council prior to the meeting. To participate live at the meeting, access the meeting remotely via Zoom. To access the live Zoom meeting, use the Zoom link, Meeting ID, and Meeting Passcode listed on the agenda on the City’s website at www.agourahillscity.org. To request to speak during public comment, please click the “Raise Hand” button on the Zoom toolbar. Public testimony is limited to three (3) minutes per speaker. A speaker’s time may not be transferred to another speaker.

Information relative to the specific request is available for viewing during normal business hours at the City of Agoura Hills, Planning Division, 30001 Ladyface Court, Agoura Hills, CA 91301. The staff report for this item will be available on Friday, September 3, 2021 on the City’s website at www.agourahillscity.org. For further information concerning this case, please contact Allison Cook, Assistant Planning Director, at (818) 597-7310 or at acook@agourahillscity.org.

Kimberly M. Rodrigues, MMC, City Clerk
City of Agoura Hills
Date Published and Posted: Thursday, August 26, 2021

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you require special assistance to participate in this meeting, notify the City Clerk’s Office, at (818) 597-7303, at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Project Location Map

Former Mayors Send Letter to County Clerk Regarding Redistricting for county Supervisor

 

August 19, 2021

 To:       Honorable Thai Le, Los Angeles County Clerk

              tle@lacounty.gov

 Re:      Redistricting Community of Interest

Dear County Clerk Le:

We write to you as former mayors of the City of Agoura Hills, a member city of the Las Virgenes/Malibu Council of Governments (“COG”).  This is to express our strong support for the inclusion of the COG cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu, Westlake Village, and the unincorporated area from Topanga to the Ventura County line in one Community of Interest (“COI”).  There are many compelling reasons which support this determination.

 1)    The five cities are entities separate and distinct from the City of Los Angeles, joined in a longstanding common COG.  These COG cities, and virtually all of the area of the Santa Monica Mountains from Topanga Canyon (Route 27) west to Ventura County, are served by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.  Not by the City of Los Angeles.

 2)    The unifying geographic feature of these five cities is their location at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.  Coordination among these entities during wildfires, earthquakes, traffic challenges, and other emergencies is essential to coordinate a safe and prompt response and allow communication and evacuation to proceed in an orderly fashion.  Numerous homes through this entire COG area are rural and keep livestock.  Many of the roads are narrow or steep.  This area creates a unique set of challenges.

 3)    These COIs are served primarily by the Las Virgenes Unified School District and the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.

 4)    The area Is dependent on four major state and local highways: the 101 freeway, Pacific Coast Highway, Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Malibu/Las Virgenes Road, and Kanan Road, all with unique regional challenges.  Accordingly, it is important to underscore the geographic implications of our road configuration as a COI.

 -       Travel eastward to the City of Los Angeles involves taking the 101 freeway over the Calabasas grade.

-       Travel westward to Simi Valley is only possible by travelling east to Topanga Canyon Boulevard or west to the 23 Freeway in Thousand Oaks.

 

These are long circuitous routes, especially during peak am/pm commuter hours. Those who live in our area do not feel any more connected to Simi Valley or the City of Los Angeles than they do to Camarillo or Oxnard.  We have greater commonality with the City of Thousand Oaks and the southern part of Ventura County, all sharing the proximity to the Santa Monica Mountains NRA.

 5)    The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors established a district office for this area in the City of Calabasas over 30 years ago.  This was done in recognition of the need to be accessible to residents and businesses of the Las Virgenes and Conejo Valleys and their shared economic and community areas of interest.

 6)    It is noteworthy that Los Angeles County Measure W has defined our Watershed Committee to include these areas north of the Pacific Ocean in order to protect watershed and water quality from runoff into the Santa Monica Bay.

 7)    Lastly, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (National Park Service), California State Parks (Topanga, Malibu Creek State Parks, etc.), and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (“MRCA”) share a large area of land in and between these unincorporated areas and the cities in the region.  Protecting natural resources and providing public access requires ongoing communication between the various jurisdictions in western Los Angeles County.

 For these reasons and others, we feel strongly that this area is a natural Community of Interest, and, accordingly, should not have divided representation on the Board of Supervisors.

 Thank you for your consideration.

 Former Agoura Hills Mayors, Representing the city from 1982 to 2018,

 Fran Pavley 

Louise Rishoff

Joan Yacovone

Darlene McBane

Ed Corridori

Bill Koehler

Jeff Reinhardt

Dan Kuperberg

Jack Koenig

Harry Schwarz