Camarillo Drive-Thru Chick-fil-A Decision to Be Appealed at City Council Meeting Tonight

Update 11/3/11: City Council upheld the Planning Commission's denial of a Chick-fil-A drive-thru at the Camarillo Premium Outlets. Hey Chick-fil-A, we love ya! How about another location? Maybe Thousand Oaks!? :>

At a September 6, 2011 Camarillo Planning Commission meeting, Chick-fil-A was denied the approval to build a 4,670 sq ft drive-through location at The Promenade section of the Camarillo Premium Outlets. Although a number of attendees supported the Chick-fil-a at the meeting, including representatives from the Camarillo and Oxnard Chambers of Commerce and others in the community, the Planning Commission voted against the proposal by a 3 to 2 margin.

The primary reason for rejecting the application was that a The Promenade is not consistent with the specific plan for the area and is not a good fit for the location. Representatives from the adjacent Johnny Rockets were not in favor for the drive-thru because of concerns of auto exhaust fumes impacting diners in the outdoor patio area of their restaurant as well as potential traffic issues.

The decision was appealed and is being presented to the Camarillo City Council tonight. City Council will be asked to reaffirm the Planning Commission's denial by the city's Community Planning Department. Stop by if you are "hungering" for action. Most people I know love Chick-fil-A, including my family, and would love more locations other than the existing one in Oxnard. But I can see the potential concern for a drive-thru in that particular location.

Hooters Administrative Public Hearing in Thousand Oaks on Thursday, September 15th

Update from VC Star on 9/20/11: Thousand Oaks resident Don Hunn, 77, has paid $1,130 to file an appeal of the decision to allow a full bar at the new Hooters. This is outstanding news for local newspapers as it provides continued comedy material.

Update from the VC Star on 9/16/11: Operators granted full bar. The decision can be appealed to the City Planning Commission within 10 calendar days and a fee of $1100. Over 60 people attended the meeting and it lasted 3 hours. 39 people spoke against the application, 12 spoke in favor of it. Ah yes, no doubt this is not the last we've heard of this "issue."

Today, the City of Thousand Oaks Community Development Department mailed a Notice of Admininstrative Public Hearing to all property owners located within 500 feet of the proposed Hooters in the Janss Marketplace parking lot, 401 N. Moorpark Road (corner of Moorpark Road and Brazil Street).

The persistently vacant ex-Sizzlers, ex-Fuddruckers location proposed for Hooters. The hearing will be held on Thursday, September 15th at 3 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Anyone is allowed to attend and be heard on the following matter:

Applicant: Thousand Oaks Wings, LLC

Sign on Potential Future Hooters Location Door. TOW Stands for Thousand Oaks Wings

Request: To modify the existing special use perrmit condition limiting on-site sale and consumption of beer and wine only to allow sale and consumption of all alcoholic beverages in conjunction with the operation of a restaurant.

This should be interesting, based on the concerns voiced by some local residents. If you're looking for some excitement on September 15th, this could be the place to be (in close competition with the 65 cent funnel cake sticks offered up by Hot Dog on a Stick on September 15th!!).

The sole purpose of the hearing is to address whether the applicant shall be allowed to have a full bar and if that is allowable under City code. The purpose of the meeting is NOT to address whether or not a Hooters should be "allowed" there in the first place. It may be entertaining watching how the the City manages to keep the scope of the meeting within its stated purpose.

Expect plenty of news coverage. For further information about the request, contact the City of Thousand Oaks.

The majority of Hooters restaurants have full bars, including the following locations that are closest to Thousand Oaks: Santa Monica, Hollywood, Burbank, Downtown Los Angeles, Anaheim, Oceanside and West Covina.

If for whatever reason we don't get our Hooters in Thousand Oaks, I'd be o.k. if they bring back Sizzler.

In-N-Out Burger May Be Coming to Agoura Hills!

FOLLOW-UP: City planners indicated that In-N-Out withdrew their application and it never went to the Planning Commission. That's not what a hamburger's all about, but so be it.

If all goes well on at the City of Agoura Hills Planning Commission hearing this Thursday night, May 19th, a new In-N-Out Burger may be coming to 28898 Canwood Street!

The new In-N-Out is proposed for a 2.73 acre parcel with 1,000 feet of frontage along Canwood and the 101 Freeway. The proposed project would include removal of 3 of the 4 existing billboards on the site and construction of a one-story, 3,654 square-foot restaurant building with a drive-through lane, trash enclosure, and outdoor dining patio. The site would have 100 parking spaces, including 5 handicapped spots.

Mock up from the Initial Study and Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration report.

There is a 104 page Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration report on this project available on the City of Agoura Hills website at www.ci.agoura-hills.ca.us.  Basically the report goes through all the types of potential environmental impacts of the project and concludes that any "negative" impacts can be mitigated in various ways. For example, scenic resources:

The project site is located north of the U.S. 101 Freeway and south of Canwood Street within the City of Agoura Hills. The Agoura Hills General Plan (2010) identifies several scenic resources in the City and identifies road segments that offer views of the scenic resources.

The following scenic resources are identified in the General Plan:

• Ladyface Mountain – located south of the U.S. 101 Freeway, between Kanan Road and the western City limits on the southern border of Agoura Hills;

• Strawberry Hill – located north of Canwood Street and south of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, just east of Forest Cove Park;

• Morrison Ranch Hills, the Morrison Ranch Hills – located north of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, generally between Reyes Adobe Road and Kanan Road;

• Palo Comado Hills – located in the northeastern corner of the City

• Simi Hills – the hills that border the City on the north

The report indicated there would be no significant impact of the project on the above.

Stay tuned! On a related note, I discovered that the In-N-Out Burger Real Estate and Development Department 13502 Hamburger Lane in Baldwin Park. What a great street name!

Thousand Oaks Auto Mall Freeway Sign Community Meetings on Wed, January 26th and Thurs, February 10th

Courtesy of City of Thousand Oaks Website:

Thousand Oaks Auto Mall Freeway Monument Sign - Community Meetings

Location: Los Robles Greens Golf Course – Banquet Center, 299 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks

Dates: 6:00 PM on Wednesday, January 26th and 6:00 PM on Thursday, February 10th

The Thousand Oaks Auto Mall lies on 54 acres along Thousand Oaks Boulevard between Duesenberg Drive, Packard Circle, and the 101 Freeway. The Auto Mall employs approximately 1,000 people, consistently generating almost one-quarter of the City’s annual sales tax revenues. In the past four years, the Auto Mall has generated more than $28 Million in sales tax revenue to the City.

In recent years, the dealerships have been working with the City to improve the appearance and navigability of the Auto Mall. Along with pedestrian amenities and aged streetscaping, the primary concern is the lack of available parking for both customers and employees. In fact, as a Top Priority for FY 2007-2008, the Thousand Oaks City Council directed staff to develop a plan to mitigate parking issues at the Auto Mall.

On January 12, 2010, City Council authorized design for the Auto Mall project. Due to the significance of this undertaking, the City Council formed an Ad Hoc Citizens Auto Mall Advisory Committee. The Ad Hoc Committee met five times between February and June 2010 to review conceptual designs and make recommendations. The final report by the Citizen Ad Hoc Committee contained recommendations on the angled parking, landscaping, way-finder signage, and a new freeway monument sign.

At the December 14, 2010 meeting, City Council approved all the necessary plans and permits for the project to move forward, with the exception the freeway monument sign. At the request of the Auto Mall Association, the monument sign was not considered by City Council at the December 14th meeting, in order to receive additional community feedback and insight regarding the sign before making a decision. After completing additional public outreach and receiving community feedback, the Auto Mall Association will bring the item to City Council on February 22, 2011. 

Selected Q&As

Who is paying for the new Auto Mall sign? The costs to construct, operate, and maintain the monument sign will be paid entirely by the Auto Mall Association. No City funds are being used to construct the Auto Mall monument sign.Previously, City Council committed $2 Million towards the other components of the project, (parking improvements, landscaping, etc.) none of which is to be used to construct the monument sign, if approved. Since 2001, the Auto Mall has generated $8 million in incremental property tax revenues for the Redevelopment Agency (RDA), with an additional $1.3 million expected in fiscal year 2010-11. The majority of the parking and landscaping costs ($6 Million) will be paid by the formation of a Community Facilities District (CFD) for the Auto Mall area. The property owners within the CFD will impose a special tax on themselves to finance the improvements in the Auto Mall.

Will the sign be precedent-setting? If approved, the monument sign will not set a precedent for digital reader boards in the City of Thousand Oaks. The approval is specific to the Auto Mall zone only; any other similar sign would require separate approvals by the Planning Commission and City Council. The existing Auto Mall sign was constructed in 1994 through the application of a special use permit. In a similar fashion, the proposed monument sign has undergone numerous iterations within the Advisory Committee, opened to public hearings, considered by the Planning Commission, and will eventually be considered by the City Council. In each stage, the necessity and appropriateness of the sign is evaluated.

More information and Q&As at www.toaks.org/government/depts/public_works/current_projects/auto_mall_improvement_project/default.asp

Also see www.conejovalleyguide.com/local-buzz/huge-electronic-billboard-for-to-auto-mall-removed-from-city.html

Roger is Dunn in Thousand Oaks Soon But Moving to Newbury Park

Roger Dunn is not done. It is moving on over to the old Zender's location at 2810 Camino Dos Rios in Newbury Park (next to the Wendy's for those of you who rely on fast food markers like me). Wow, it's about time something moved in there as it has been closed over a year since Zender's went out of business.

The Roger Dunn Golf Shop at 125 W. Thousand Oaks Boulevard on the east side of the recently closed Borders bookstore. Hmm, perhaps they are moving as part of that deal. In any case, a representative at the store today indicated they will be moving to their new home literally 4 miles away this Sunday! Good for them and I wish them the best at their new location!

My lousy shot of the entrance to the soon-to-be new Roger Dunn Golf Shop location in Newbury Park where Zender's used to reside.

Calleguas Water District to Relocate Water Supply Pipeline in Thousand Oaks

Calleguas MWD to Relocate Vital Water Supply Pipeline in Thousand Oaks

On January 3, the Calleguas Municipal Water District (Calleguas) will begin construction activities to relocate a 48-inch diameter pipeline that provides water service to much of the Thousand Oaks area. Originally installed in 1965, the Conejo Valley Feeder delivers water to residents and businesses in the central and western portions of the valley.

Under the $1.4 million project, Calleguas will construct 500 feet of pipe within a new steel casing paralleling the existing pipeline along Olsen Road under the State Highway 23 bridge. In recent years, the California Department of Transportation made seismic related improvements to the highway bridge. The location of these improvements on top of Calleguas’ pipeline require that a segment of pipe be relocated to ensure continued water supply reliability and public safety.

During construction, vehicular traffic will be constrained in both directions to allow construction crews adequate space to install the new pipe and connect it with the existing pipeline beyond the bridge’s support columns. The left of the two eastbound lanes will be closed for the duration of the project, scheduled for completion by May 2011. The right eastbound lane will remain open and be modified to allow vehicles to either continue along Olsen Road to Simi Valley or access the northbound highway onramp. The left westbound lane on Olsen Road will also be closed between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. Project updates will be posted to Calleguas’ web site at www.calleguas.com.

View Larger Map

“Maintaining flow through this regional supply pipeline is essential for reliable water service to literally tens of thousands of water users in the area,” said Susan Mulligan, Calleguas General Manager. “We are working closely with Caltrans and the City of Thousand Oaks to design a traffic control plan that minimizes impacts on local commuters while enabling our contractor adequate space to work. We apologize for any inconvenience for area residents and are committed to completing the project as
quickly as possible.”

Calleguas is one of twenty-six member agencies of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the primary urban water supplier in Ventura County, providing water service to a population of over 600,000. Through a variety retail water agencies and companies, Calleguas provides water to the cities of Oxnard, Camarillo, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and Port Hueneme as well as surrounding unincorporated areas.

Thousand Oaks Public Works Department's Street and Drainage Preparation Pays Off

Last year public works employees were out in the rain clearing a fallen tree limb. So far, during the recent rains, that's not happened. That may change if wind starts blowing as some predict.

The millions of dollars Thousand Oaks has put into its drainage and streets system was put to the test over the past week with record rainfall. The public works department of 200 workers directed by Mark Watkins passed with an excellent grade. There was only an occasional pothole reported and quickly filled. The city pays more to pave streets with asphalt rubber made out of recycled tires. The rubber pavement wears better as proven after recent rain storms. Now, with windy weather predicted, the public works department is ready with chainsaws and woodchippers to clear any downed trees that might fall on public property due to roots not getting a good grip in saturated ground. To report any service needs call (805) 449-2499.

Chick-fil-A Plans in T.O., Camarillo Are Being Carefully Scrutinized by City Planners

Thousand Oaks City planners are still reviewing the design of the 2,200 square foot Chick-fil-A building proposed to replace Weinerschnitzel, 3771 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard. There will be no date set for it to go before the planning commission until issues of drainage and grading are settled. There's not a lot of flexibility on the site to make new building requirements work. For a while Chick-fil-A looked around at other sites in Thousand Oaks that would also offer a drive-thru, but came back to the Weinerschnitzel site, a city official said. Maybe some time next year fried chicken breast sandwiches will replace hot dogs, chili and cheeseburgers.

In Camarillo, city planners are suggesting Chick-fil-A take a look at other sites than where the company has applied to build. The Camarillo Promenade is a carefully designed environment that has been tirelessly developed to meet a standard that is pedestrian friendly. The drive-thru proposed conflicts with the village retail setting described in the area's specific plan. The retail center is at Ventura Blvd. East of Los Posas. The city's community development department has not accepted the restaurant's application, saying it's incomplete. Planners like the company, just not the drive-thru in the Promenade.

Update on 2010-12-24 01:06 by Nancy Needham

Thousand Oaks City Planner Pam Leopold said a new application was filed with the city today that appears to overcome several obstacles slowing down the previous application from Chick-fil-A. Now, the chicken sandwich restaurant wants to build a 2,197 square foot building with only outdoor dining and a drive-thru. The parcel did not accommodate interior dining, Pam said. Watch out for the wrecking ball, little Weinerschnitzel guy.