MORE HOUSING IN STORE—The land around The Oaks mall and Janss Marketplace, near Moorpark Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, is one of four “areas of change” identified as part of the general plan update. The proposals would all allow some amount of residential, as well as five- and six-story buildings, at the two shopping centers. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers
Since the time of its founding, Thousand Oaks has been resistant to change.
A few years before the city incorporated in 1964, residents rose up to fight the original plans for Conejo Creek Freeway (now Highway 23), causing Caltrans to shift the road away from what is today Conejo Creek Park.
George “Judd” Gillette, the brother of former City Councilmember Dennis Gillette, was the head of the Meadows Homeowners Association and at the center of the fight.
“A lot of people don’t realize it, but that was a big deal,” said Dennis Gillette, a resident for 50 years before he moved to Washington state in 2013 to be closer to his daughter, a nurse. “Originally . . . the freeway was going to be against the ‘east hill,’ right where the library is. That was all kind of fait accompli till the neighbors said, ‘Hey, wait a minute. We don’t want it there.’ And they were successful in getting it moved.”
This spirit of resistance has carried over through the decades.
The Oaks mall has been earmarked for high-density mixed use, a new designation that would allow for residential density up to 60 units per acre and buildings up to six stories (68 feet) tall. Acorn file photo
Unlike its neighboring municipalities, Thousand Oaks had never embarked on a comprehensive update of its general plan, a governing document used by city planners to guide all development. It’s tinkered here and there as required by the state, but nothing approaching what staff and their consultant are trying to accomplish now, said Gillette, who served on the council from 1998 to 2012.
Gillette called the update “well overdue.”
“I think it is probably one of the best things that will guarantee the quality of life for the community of Thousand Oaks,” he said.
The four areas in purple have all been designated for significant change. The seven neighborhood shopping centers are under consideration for mixed-use zoning, meaning the center owners could add housing to the site. Courtesy toaks2045.org
Land-use alternatives
At the center of the overhaul: Thousand Oaks’ 50-year-old land-use map, which uses zoning designations to dictate what types of building can go where in the city, as well as how tall and intense that building can be. Ultimately, a single vote of the council will rezone thousands of parcels around the city for different uses.
But first comes choosing a new map, which the council has been tasked to do by the end of April.
Before that happens, the Acorn will highlight the four so-called “areas of change” and the different visions for each of them, starting this week with the area around Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Moorpark Road.
Maps of the areas of change and options for each were revealed during a Feb. 2 online workshop, with assurances by outside consultant Matt Raimi of Berkeley-based Raimi and Associates that the final map presented to the council for approval won’t be any of the maps presented that night.
“Just thinking forward, the preferred alternative is probably likely a combination of the alternatives that we’re presenting,” Raimi said. “These are just different ways the city could potentially evolve in the future, and it is a way for us to start a dialogue and discourse about the future of the city.”
We encourage readers to follow along using the maps and guidebook provided at toaks2045.org.
Alternative 1’s vision for the area around west Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Moorpark Road involves creating three separate mixed-use villages. Courtesy of toaks2045.org
Alternative 1
Surveyed multiple times over the past year, residents have consistently picked out The Oaks mall and Janss Marketplace as places where they would like to see change.
As it turns out, the owners of the malls are open to it, said Haider Alawami, economic development manager for the city.
“They were already looking at what else they can have in the malls that creates an experience customers are looking for,” he said.
Hotels and housing were topics that came up in discussions the city had with the property owners even before the pandemic, he said.
“They love the idea they have options,” Alawami said. “In two or three years from now, if retail is still struggling . . . they can say, ‘OK, we have this footprint and can look at adding housing.’”
Alternative 1 for the area east of Lynn Road, mostly west of Hodencamp Road and south of Janss Road would see the creation of three so-called mixed-use neighborhoods.
The Oaks would be categorized as “mixed-use high,” a new designation that would allow residential, commercial or a combination of the two, with housing up to 60 units per acre and buildings up to six stories tall. Today the area is largely commercial with buildings no taller than three stories.
Mixed-use would involve either residential on top of retail (e.g., the Lupe’s project) or residential next to retail.
In Alternative 1, nearby Janss Marketplace would be rezoned for mixed-use low, allowing up to 30 housing units per acre and buildings up to five stories tall.
A final mixed-use area would be at Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Boardwalk Road, near Tarantula Hill Brewing Company and 299 T.O. Blvd, where a residential/commercial development is under construction.
This area would be designated mixed-use medium, allowing density of up to 45 units per acre and a height limit of 58 feet.
Except for the Janss mall, Alternative 1 maintains commercial uses along most of Moorpark Road and between The Oaks and Moorpark Road south of Hillcrest Drive. It also maintains office, retail and commercial uses along the 101 Freeway south of the boulevard and north of Hillcrest.
Alternative 2 locates high-density mixed use at Janss Marketplace rather than The Oaks. Courtesy of toaks2045.org.
Alternative 2
The second option allows for the most mixed-use designations of the three alternatives, though there are more low-density mixed-use designations and fewer medium- and high-capacity designations compared to the others.
This alternative calls for mixed-use low zones at The Oaks and along Moorpark Road, Hillcrest Drive and Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Janss Marketplace would be medium-density mixed-use.
Commercially designated land would be focused in three areas: east of Moorpark Road and south of Hillcrest, north of Hillcrest and east of Wilbur Road, and along Moorpark Road north of Wilbur.
Alternative 3 would see the western end of The Oaks mall designated for medium-density residential and the eastern portion kept commercial. The land north of the mall would be slated for industrial uses, including breweries. This option also adds high-density mixed-use on the northern side of T.O. Boulevard east of Moorpark Road down to Boardwalk Road. Courtesy of toaks2045.org.
Alternative 3
This map option, which is focused on job creation, maintains much of The Oaks property for commercial use but allows for various residential uses on the west end closest to Lynn Road. These could be single-family houses, townhomes/condos or apartment buildings.
Under this alternative, Janss Marketplace is designated for high-density mixed-use, as is the area around Tarantula Hill Brewing Company.
The map also transforms Moorpark Road from commercial to mixed-use between T.O. Boulevard and the 23 Freeway.
The area bounded by Hillcrest Drive and Wilbur and Hodencamp roads would be medium residential. Currently, that area is designated as medium and high density. This new designation allows multifamily homes, single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and courtyard housing with a density of up to 20 units per acre and heights of up to 35 feet or three stories.
Several parcels along Hillcrest and Wilbur would be designated as low-density industrial, which allows manufacturing, research and development, breweries and distilleries, supportive retail and services. 