Agoura Hills residents want to keep things the same: survey is first step in revising general plan.

People living in Agoura Hills are more concerned about maintaining the city's small-town feel and staving off over-development than adding new businesses, according to a survey of more than 950 residents released by the city.

The study is the first step in a painstaking process to revise the Agoura Hills general plan, a document that outlines regulations and standards to which all buildings and projects in the city must comply.

The city in 2005 mailed the study to 7,347 Agoura Hills homes. Of those, 954 were returned and form the basis for the 110-page study.

The results provide an inside look about how residents view their city.

Ninety-percent said that quality of life and safety of the community were the primary factors for living in the city, followed by quality of schools (74 percent), natural beauty of the area (69 percent) and environment (also 69 percent).

At the same time, residents were critical of the city's increased congestion, lack of retail and restaurants and over-development. More than 60 percent wanted more parks; 44 percent more retail.

But the analysis also showed that 62 percent want to keep the amount of residential development in the city at the same level it is today while 58 percent favor decreasing the number of industrial and office properties.

To survey officials, the study shows that residents are "focused on maintaining--rather than changing the character of the city," according to the report.

City Senior Planner Allison Cook in an interview said the responses weren't surprising.

"For the most part, people wanted to keep things the way they are but improve things a little," she said.

Generally speaking

Under state law, all cities and counties in California are required to maintain a general plan, which essentially acts as a long-range road map in helping municipal officials make decisions on land use, development, housing, circulation and other policy matters.

The document usually outlines specifics such as residential set-backs, building heights and material preferences and creates a system for future roads and infrastructure.

The Agoura Hill general plan was adopted in May 1993. Since then, the 8-square-mile city has undergone considerable population and development growth, requiring the study to be revised.

The process started last year with the surveys. Last winter 15 face-to-face surveys with business, education and community leaders and homeowners groups were conducted. City staffers also took an inventory of city blocks and land use in addition to a market analysis, Cook said.

All of that information will form the baseline for various technical analyses and reports on population, parks, housing, public safety, community services and traffic. City officials will also use it to look at the existing plan and determine what to keep and what to refine.

"We start with our big policy thinking and then see how we make that happen," Cook said.

Then, once that meets city approval, the whole plan is analyzed for possible impact on the environment. Finally, the plan is put in front of the Planning Commission and City Council.

The process will take about two years, although it is already drawing criticism.

Alex Soteras, first vice president of the Agoura Hills, Oak Park, Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the general plan is one of dozens of ways the city has hampered development and business in the city through strict height limits and signage limits.

He predicted the city will continue its stance despite any new plan.

"Agoura Hills has a reputation in the whole region of being unfriendly to the business community," he said. "A conceptual plan is nothing but conceptual."

Cook, however, said the whole point of looking at the plan is to make sure things are working.

"Our intent in updating the general plan is to see if we're still going on the right path and if we need to adjust our policies," she said. "We see it as trying to make things better."

Survey Findings

More than 950 responses were gathered in the Agoura Hills survey. Among the findings:

Least desirable aspects of living in Agoura Hills

25 percent--Congestion and traffic 16 percent--Lack of retail and restaurants 13 percent--Too much development 13 percent--Kanan interchange 

What the city needs

75 percent--Additional walking and bike paths 71 percent--Sit-down restaurants 62 percent--More open space 56 percent--Recreation services 51 percent--Upscale retail 44 percent--Entertainment 41 percent--Medical services 36 percent--More senior services 31 percent--Additional affordable housing

Source: City of Agoura Hills

BY CHRIS COATES Staff Reporter