Sept. 18—THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—To build a hotel on a particular corner of Thousand Oaks Boulevard would require a study on traffic, parking, tree removal and a number of other issues, a process that the Thousand Oaks City Council considers as worthy to initiate.
On Tuesday, the council approved the evaluation of a potential 147-room hotel to be constructed near Westlake High School. The approval does not give a green light to the project but rather begins a process that would include closer analysis and a public hearing.
The council could have denied further consideration of the project but voted unanimously to study it.
“This project deserves to be considered based on the location and based on the demand,” said Mayor Al Adam. “Our transit occupancy tax has gone up substantially lately, which indicates to me a lot of our hotels are operating at capacity.”
The hotel project will ultimately need a general plan amendment that requires approval from the Planning Commission and City Council. The 4-acre property in question is zoned industrial and would need to have its designation changed to commercial.
It would have a significant impact on the commercial property allocation as defined by voter initiative Measure E. Voters in 1996 passed a measure that calls for a public vote should residential units or commercial acreage exceed a certain limit.
Should the hotel project be approved, it would push the city to the Measure E limit, requiring voter approval for future commercial projects that require a general plan amendment.
Later in the meeting, the council discussed water conservation efforts and their results this summer.
The council in June had considered placing a stop to new pool permits as a response to the drought but wanted more information before making a decision.
Public Works Director Jay Spurgin said there have been seven permits issued for pool construction this summer. The amount of water used to fill the pools was insignificant compared to overall water usage in the city, Spurgin said, adding he did not recommend permit restrictions.
There are three water agencies operating in the city with varying water restriction goals set by the state. The agencies are the city of Thousand Oaks, California American Water and California Water Service.
While the city has met its conservation goals in the past three months, the two private agencies have missed the mark and are implementing a drought surcharge for some residents.