Chapter
Land Use
The Land Use Element describes and defines the distinct types of places that the City aims to create to achieve the community’s vision. Collectively with the Mobility, Parks and Open Space, Conservation, Housing, and Community Facilities and Services Elements, this chapter defines how buildings and public spaces should shape Thousand Oaks in the future. The focus of this Element is to accommodate and plan for necessary change, comply with existing and new State regulations, and modernize the City, while preserving and enhancing unique features that attribute to the high-quality of life Thousand Oaks is known for. Land Use also impacts livability, equity, and community health, which are included as important issues addressed in this Element.
Goals and Policies
Citywide Urban Structure and Pattern of Development
Goal LU-1: Create a land use pattern of development that preserves existing neighborhoods while providing opportunities for targeted infill projects in strategic locations to enhance the quality of life, preserve the natural environment, and ensure the long-term fiscal viability of Thousand Oaks.
LU-1.1 Overall City structure.
Establish a clearly defined urban pattern of development and open space by:
- Maintaining and expanding the open space network and natural areas around the City.
- Maintaining the single-family residential character of established neighborhood areas.
- Supporting development along Thousand Oaks Boulevard in the area encompassing the Downtown Core Master Plan through revising the Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Civic Arts Plaza specific plans to implement the General Plan policies, and the Downtown Core Master Plan’s Primary Actions and Supporting Activities.
- Revitalizing Thousand Oaks Boulevard with a diverse mix of multi-family residential, retail, commercial, office, healthy food options, service and entertainment related uses, and civic gathering spaces. Incentivizing and streamlining infill multi-family development.
- Redeveloping large shopping malls, including The Oaks shopping mall and Janss Marketplace, into walkable, mixed-use places that include multi-family residential, hotels, entertainment and retail uses.
- Promoting new visitor-serving uses, such as lodging and commercial recreational uses, along Highway 101.
- Expanding and diversifying the employment uses in the City with a focus on biotech, high tech, research and development, and office uses.
- Redeveloping strip commercial shopping centers into walkable, mixed-use centers with housing, retail, and public meeting and gathering spaces.
- Discouraging the development of drive-through facilities and building designs for single use occupancy within mixed-use areas.
- Providing a supportive network of public uses throughout the City including parks, schools, libraries, and community centers.
- Supporting new development with sufficient sewer, water, electrical, and other critical infrastructure. Incentivizing and streamlining infill residential at mixed-use designations, including adding residential development on existing parking lots and underutilized portions of the site.
LU-1.2 Complete community.
Strive to maintain a diverse and balanced mix of uses in the City, so that Thousand Oaks is a “complete community” with a diversity of housing for all stages of life and income levels; improve alignment of educational attainment opportunities with high-paying employment opportunities, open space, public facilities that meet residents’ needs, and retail and services to support daily life.
LU-1.3 Balance character and infill.
Maintain community character while promoting infill development that brings needed housing, amenities, and jobs to the City.
LU-1.4 Infill locations.
Focus most new development in areas identified in the “Areas-Specific Guidance.”
LU-1.5 Mixed-use development.
Allow mixed-use developments, consistent with the General Plan land use map, to support a healthy jobs/housing balance, promote walkability, and increase economic vibrancy.
LU-1.6 Non-residential transitions.
Require transitions in building height, massing, and character for new buildings in mixed use, commercial, and industrial areas that are immediately adjacent to single-family residential areas. These transitions may include a combination of vegetation, berms, building setbacks, upper story setbacks, and a decrease in building height.
LU-1.7 Quality “Third Places.”
Support the development and enhancement of “Third Places” (places people go after work or when not at home), including open space, recreation, art, and entertainment venues.
LU-1.8 Entitlement process.
Seek to be a business-friendly City by streamlining the City’s entitlement process to encourage new development and renovations of existing buildings for residential and non-residential uses.
LU-1.9 Adaptive reuse.
Promote adaptive reuse of existing buildings, especially those with building designs that reinforce community design and pedestrian orientation.
LU-1.10 Landscaping.
Strive to increase the amount of green landscaping and trees throughout the City in order to combat climate change, provide shade and enhance the visual quality of Thousand Oaks. Landscaping shall be native and drought-tolerant where feasible.
LU-1.11 Measure E.
Comply with the restriction of the 1996 Measure E Initiative to the extent required by its terms or as otherwise exempted. A copy of Measure E is included in Appendix D.
Residential Neighborhoods
Goal LU-2: Preserve and enhance existing neighborhoods throughout the City.
LU-2.1 Maintenance and improvement of residential properties.
Require the ongoing maintenance and improvement of existing residential properties.
LU-2.2 Deteriorated structures and nuisances.
Encourage neighborhood associations to proactively identify and address nuisances and reduce property deterioration.
LU-2.3 Sustainable residences.
Encourage sustainable building practices during new construction or when buildings are substantially renovated.
LU-2.4 Building additions.
Building additions and expansions should use matching materials to ensure compatibility with the existing character of the neighborhood.
LU-2.5 Sustainable residential landscaping.
Encourage property owners to use sustainable and climate-appropriate landscaping by incorporating natural materials and native vegetation and trees to enhance the urban forest and provide shade and habitat for fauna.
LU-2.6 Circulation connectivity.
Seek opportunities to enhance existing residential neighborhoods by improving pedestrian and bicycle access and infrastructure, installing traffic calming measures, and creating new connections between adjacent streets, subdivisions and commercial areas.
LU-2.7 Access to neighborhood amenities.
Improve sidewalks and bike lanes within neighborhoods and along routes to retail areas, schools, parks, and other points of interest to promote active transportation. Improve active transportation-related street amenities, including bike parking, lighting, and seating along major routes.
Goal LU-3: Promote a diversity of housing types for Thousand Oaks residents through all stages of life.
LU-3.1 Diversity of housing.
Promote a diversity of housing types in locations throughout the City, specifically in neighborhood areas that contain goods and services, parks and open space, and public schools in a walkable setting.
LU-3.2 Housing for different life stages and incomes.
Encourage new housing types for all residents including young professionals, older adults, and middle- and low-income families.
LU-3.3 Intergenerational supportive housing.
Support extended family living within residential neighborhoods through modifications to existing homes.
LU-3.4 Aging in place.
Promote development of housing types that support opportunities to age in place.
LU-3.5 Housing for special needs.
Support housing for older adults, special needs groups (including those with developmental disabilities), and non-traditional family groups by allowing a diverse range of housing configurations and universally accessible design features.
LU-3.6 Universal Design.
Encourage the use of Universal Design principles in new construction and rehabilitation of housing.
LU-3.7 Parking requirements.
Allow a reduction in parking requirements on a project-by-project basis to achieve high-quality design, increased housing affordability, and to promote walking, bicycling, and transit use, while working to minimize potential negative impacts on adjacent properties.
Goal LU-4: Support the creation of safe, affordable, and sanitary housing for all ages, income levels, and abilities.
LU-4.1 New housing in very high fire hazard zones.
Discourage developing housing on undeveloped land within the City’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
LU-4.2 Incentives for healthy housing.
Create incentives for new and rehabilitated residential buildings to be designed and constructed to consider the health of residents, such as:
- Siting buildings to encourage walking;
- Designing buildings to allow for high levels of natural light and air; and,
- Providing safe connections to parks, trails, schools, and recreation.
LU-4.3 Barriers and buffers.
Require design features such as site and building orientation, trees or other landscaped barriers, artificial barriers, ventilation and filtration, construction, and operational practices to reduce air quality impacts to new residential development from high-volume roadways.
LU-4.4 Air quality of homes.
For new residential land uses that cannot be sited at least 500 feet away from high-volume roadways, require design mitigation, such as:
- Design residential units with individual heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to allow adequate ventilation even with windows closed;
- Locate air intake systems for HVAC systems as far away from existing air pollution sources as possible;
- Use High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) air filters in the HVAC system and require a maintenance plan to ensure the filtering system is properly maintained;
- Use sound walls, berms, and vegetation as physical barriers; and
- Notify new potential home buyers and renters of risks from air pollution.
LU-4.5 Affordable housing stock.
Increase the number and diversity of affordable housing units in the City and encourage housing of varying income levels and unit sizes/floor plans.
LU-4.6 Affordable housing locations.
Focus on locating affordable housing close to areas with retail and services and in high resource areas as identified in the TCAC/HCD Opportunity Map.*
LU-4.7 Affordable housing preservation.
Preserve or replace affordable housing units that are subject to expiration with the use of new housing subsidies.
*The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Opportunity Map identifies areas in every region of the state whose characteristics have been shown by research to be most strongly associated with positive economic, educational, and health outcomes for low-income families.
Mixed-Use Areas
Goal LU-5: Enhance quality of life, enable active modes of transportation, and provide housing opportunities with vibrant mixed-use areas.
LU-5.1 Mixed-use development.
Actively encourage vertical or horizontal mixed-use development projects, especially in areas with underperforming retail and service uses, including adding multifamily residential uses to underperforming buildings or surface parking lots.
LU-5.2 Active ground floor uses.
Encourage active ground floor uses, such as retail, restaurants, and other commercial uses in new development projects that have a potential for significant pedestrian activity.
LU-5.3 Pedestrian-oriented design.
Orient new buildings towards the primary public right-of-way and require new projects to construct sidewalks designed to accommodate street amenities and landscaping in front of the project. Encourage new project designs with the primary building entrance facing the front, instead of behind the building or from a side street.
LU-5.4 Residential infill within commercial shopping centers.
Encourage infill residential development on underutilized parking lots in mixed-use areas while also maintaining the site’s retail and commercial activity. Support the following activities, when necessary, to facilitate residential development:
- Subdivision of the parking area to create developable parcels.
- Clustering of density on underutilized portions of the site and/or parking area.
- Shared access to existing structures to allow existing uses to remain while the parking areas are being redeveloped or reconfigured.
- Addition to or reconfiguration of the existing structures.
LU-5.5 Land use integration.
Provide infrastructure connectivity between mixed-use developments and surrounding land uses, including streets, pedestrian trails, bikeways, park lands, commercial retail, and employment uses.
LU-5.6 Shared and flexible parking.
Provide measures that allow shared parking between properties and uses with different peak parking demands and flexibility in meeting parking requirements for changes of use in existing structures.
LU-5.7 Drive-through facilities.
Restrict new drive through facilities in areas designated as Mixed-Use in order to minimize conflicts with pedestrian oriented design and promote pedestrian activity and safety.
LU-5.8 Comprehensive site design.
Require mixed-use development to be comprehensively planned. Discourage “outparcels” for specific commercial uses or other subdivision of sites into smaller parcels that would restrict the redevelopment of the area for housing in the future.
LU-5.9 Subdivision of parcels for residential uses.
Allow property owners to subdivide larger mixed-use designated parcels to allow residential development on a portion of the site.
Industrial Areas
Goal LU-6: Enhance the City’s core high-value sectors and diversify its job base in a manner that contributes to the City’s long term economic vitality.
LU-6.1 Attract biotechnology.
Expand the biotechnology sector by attracting new companies and startups, and foster relationships between existing biotechnology, educational, and healthcare organizations in the region.
LU-6.2 Support small technology businesses.
Leverage the strong demand for research and development and flex spaces to support smaller high-technology and biotechnology firms.
LU-6.3 Attract complementary professional services.
Attract other professional services that complement existing industries (e.g., biotechnology, healthcare).
LU-6.4 Coworking facilities.
Encourage amenity-rich coworking spaces to attract employees that want to work remotely.
LU-6.5 High-value industrial uses.
Preserve industrial land for high value uses. Discourage development of logistics and warehousing facilities, as well as self-storage facilities.
LU-6.6 Employment intensification.
Support the intensification of employment uses within the Industrial Low and Industrial Flex land use designations, as indicated on the General Plan Land Use Map.
LU-6.7 Emerging industries.
Attract and retain innovative and emerging businesses in the fields of research and development, technology, life sciences, aerospace, and medicine.
LU-6.8 Non-polluting industries.
Promote the development of clean industries that do not produce significant amounts of air pollution, water pollution or other sources of pollution that negatively impact human health or the natural environment.
LU-6.9 Employee services.
Enhance the working environment by allowing and promoting small retail, restaurants, day care, and service uses that directly serve employees.
LU-6.10 Redevelopment of older buildings.
Encourage redevelopment of older office nodes that have the potential to become ‘next generation’ workspaces including spaces for coworking, and research and development.
LU-6.11 Jobs/housing relationship.
Work with large employers to explore programs and policies that promote additional housing in Thousand Oaks to support a growing number of employees. These could include incentives to build housing for company employees, a jobs-housing linkage fee, and other impact fees.
Commercial and Retail Areas
Goal LU-7: Redevelop underperforming commercial areas to support a thriving local economy.
LU-7.1 Redevelopment of declining centers.
Encourage redevelopment of vacant and underutilized properties, including declining shopping centers, to become high performing commercial and service areas.
LU-7.2 Flexible commercial uses.
Encourage flexibility in building design to allow for uses and programs to evolve and adapt to the fast-paced changes of the retail industry.
LU-7.3 Retail connectivity to neighborhoods.
Support retail development that incorporates pedestrian connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods.
LU-7.4 Strip commercial centers.
Discourage the development of new strip commercial centers that are auto oriented with large parking lots and single-story buildings set back from the primary roadway. New commercial areas should be designed as pedestrian-friendly walkable areas.
LU-7.5 Visitor-serving uses.
Encourage hotels, restaurants, commercial entertainment and other visitor-serving uses. Allow these uses in all areas designated as Commercial Town and Commercial Regional.
LU-7.6 Gathering spaces.
Promote new public gathering places in shopping centers, such as plazas or courtyards.
LU-7.7 Bicycle and pedestrian connections.
Improve pedestrian and bicycle connections within one mile of commercial areas and neighborhoods. Improvements could include new pedestrian connections through cul-de-sacs, upgraded pedestrian crossings, the addition of bicycle facilities, such as bike paths or separated bike lanes and bicycle parking.
Community Design and Public Realm
Goal LU-8: Support high-quality and visually interesting design and construction of all buildings throughout the City.
LU-8.1 Quality design and materials.
Require simple, urban building forms made with permanent, high-quality materials and architectural detailing.
LU-8.2 Building entrances.
Use visual and physical features within a building’s design and entries to emphasize the building entrance and connection to public spaces.
LU-8.3 Public gathering spaces.
Encourage public and quasi-public gathering spaces within development that support community activities.
LU-8.4 Architecturally significant buildings.
Strive to maintain the architectural integrity of significant developments that represent notable styles in Thousand Oaks, including the Eichler homes, Case Study House No. 28, and other similar buildings.
LU-8.5 Iconic design.
Encourage iconic and memorable building designs, particularly on larger properties and those visible from major thoroughfares, including Highway 101.
LU-8.6 Lot consolidation.
Encourage assembly of small parcels along commercial and mixed-use corridors to achieve a cohesive pedestrian-oriented development and building design. Allow modifications to development standards to encourage lot consolidation.
LU-8.7 Crime prevention strategies.
Implement Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles, that include site design, mixtures of uses, lighting, nighttime security and other measures.
LU-8.8 Design of mixed-use, commercial, office and industrial areas.
Design areas to be more urban in character by amending the zoning regulations, including but not limited to the following:
- Buildings sited near front lot lines by establishing maximum setbacks;
- A high percentage of lot coverage;
- Building facades with transparency (e.g., windows) and an active street frontage;
- Parking and loading areas located behind or on the side of buildings;
- Wide sidewalks with landscaping;
- New street connections to create more walkable blocks
Goal LU-9: Design public streets and other spaces for pedestrians and that foster interaction, activity, and safety.
LU-9.1 Streetscape design.
Encourage pedestrian-oriented streetscapes by establishing a unified approach to street tree planting, street lighting, sidewalk design, pedestrian amenities (such as lighting and street furniture) and high-quality building frontages with visible street-facing walk-in access.
LU-9.2 Pedestrian focus on high volume streets.
Design the streetscape of high-volume streets (such as Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Hillcrest Drive, Moorpark Road, and Westlake Boulevard) to balance regional traffic flow with pedestrian movement, comfort, and safety through such means as wider and winding sidewalks with landscaping and shade, safe and visible pedestrian crossings with midpoint stops, and buffers or bike lanes between traffic lanes and pedestrians.
LU-9.3 Parking facilities.
Design parking areas that do not interfere with the pedestrian access to buildings along street frontages.
LU-9.4 Shade trees.
Encourage the planting of street trees that shade the sidewalk and off-street parking areas in accordance with the City’s Forestry Master Plan.
LU-9.5 Lighting.
Require that all new streetlights along sidewalks and other pedestrian rights of way in commercial, multi-family, and mixed-use areas to be pedestrian-scaled and provide adequate visibility and security.
LU-9.6 Public plazas.
Encourage new development to incorporate public plazas, seating, and gathering places.
LU-9.7 Universal Design.
Incorporate Universal Design principles in the design of public right-of-way and public spaces to facilitate ease of movement for pedestrians of all ages and abilities, including flexible seating with arms, accessible signals, tactile paving, pedestrian safety islands, green infrastructure, consistent lighting, wide sidewalks and pathways, and defined spaces for gathering and modes of movement.
LU-9.8 Minimize curb cuts.
Require new commercial, residential and mixed-use development, to the extent possible, to have common driveways and/or service lanes serving multiple units, to minimize the number of curb cuts along any block to improve pedestrian safety.
Goal LU-10: Preserve views of the mountains and ridgelines and unique entryways to Thousand Oaks.
LU-10.1 Public view corridors.
Reaffirm and update adopted view sheds protection within the Ridgeline Study. Promote development practices that enhance and frame views of the mountains and ridgelines from view corridors along public rights of ways.
LU-10.2 Ridgelines.
Prohibit new development on major ridgelines as identified in the Ridgeline Study within the City.
LU-10.3 Gateways.
Promote gateway signage that serves as entrance points into the City of Thousand Oaks such as:
- Westlake Boulevard and Highway 101;
- Olsen Road and State Route 23;
- Wendy Drive and Highway 101;
- Lynn Road and Hillcrest Drive;
- Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard
Sustainable Buildings
Goal LU-11: Power existing and new buildings with clean energy.
LU-11.1 Carbon-free construction.
Promote and encourage new construction that uses carbon-free energy.
LU-11.2 Energy efficient new construction.
Promote and encourage energy-efficient new construction through implementation of CALGreen Tier 1 and Tier 2 measures and use of Passive Solar System design features.
LU-11.3 Onsite solar in new construction.
Promote and encourage the installation to the maximum extent possible of on-site solar (or other distributed renewable energy) in new construction, including rooftop, carports and additional technologies as they evolve.
LU-11.4 Transition existing buildings to carbon-free energy.
Promote and encourage the electrification of existing buildings with clean energy to reduce and eliminate fossil fuel use.
LU-11.5 Existing building energy efficiency.
Encourage an increase in energy efficiency of existing buildings through upgrades including insulation, sealing, improved windows, roofs, water and air heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
LU-11.6 Energy audits and disclosures.
Support and encourage energy audits and energy use disclosure at time of listing, sale, lease, rental or remodel of existing buildings.
LU-11.7 Electrical Vehicle charging stations in new development.
Require EV ready receptacles sufficient to support users in new development.
LU-11.8 Affordable energy efficiency upgrades.
Work with energy utility companies to promote energy efficiency upgrades and discounts to lower-income households in Thousand Oaks.
Healthy Communities
Goal LU-12: Promote healthy living for all residents of Thousand Oaks.
LU-12.1 Access to healthy foods.
Promote access to healthy foods through opportunities such as, certified farmers’ markets and community gardens.
LU-12.2 Tobacco and alcohol sales.
Prohibit the sale of tobacco and alcohol products near schools, parks, libraries, and community centers.
LU-12.3 Healthy eating programs.
Partner with the Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), the Alex Fiore Teen Center, Goebel Adult Community Center, and Thousand Oaks Library to implement healthy eating education programs.
LU-12.4 City event refreshments.
Encourage City-funded and sponsored events to offer healthy food choices.
LU-12.5 Health promoting public programs.
Encourage partnerships with Ventura County Department of Public Health to develop and offer food education programs, healthy cooking classes, nutrition programs, and physical activity programs.
LU-12.6 Gardening and composting programming.
Encourage partnerships with community organizations to provide educational programming for all ages that cover gardening and composting basics.
LU-12.7 Smoke-free multi-family housing.
Adopt an ordinance to transition all multi-family buildings into smoke-free and vape-free housing.
LU-12.8 Smoking product retailers.
Limit the sale of tobacco and other nicotine products in neighborhoods with a significant concentration of stores (e.g., multiple stores on the same block or intersection) and near child-sensitive areas, such as schools, parks, and daycare facilities.
LU-12.9 Discourage vehicle idling.
Discourage new drive-through operations and other uses that require and encourage active idling of vehicles.
LU-12.10 Walk to school.
Partner with CVUSD to promote walking or cycling to school to improve health and fitness, reduce traffic congestion around schools, and reduce air pollution at schools from idling vehicles.
LU-12.11 Food distribution.
Partner with local food recovery organizations, food retailers, restaurants and businesses to develop a robust food recovery program to support the distribution of unwanted or unsold food to those in need.
LU-12.12 Parks and Open Space Areas.
Encourage the creation, maintenance, and enhancement of park and open space facilities that provide physical, mental, and social benefits for all ages.
LU-12.13 Minimize construction impacts.
Take steps to reduce the impact of construction on major development project on existing residential and commercial areas by developing construction management procedures that include construction times, staging areas, and phasing requirements.
Area Specific Guidance
This section of the Goals and Policies is focused on specific areas of the community (see Figure 4.5 Sub Areas for the specific areas). A map depicting each area is presented with each area (see Figure 4.6 through Figure 4.12). The goals and policies for each are only to apply to the identified area.
Goal LU-13: Create a Downtown Core that is a vibrant and welcoming place that serves as the “heart of the City.”
LU-13.1 Downtown.
Implement the vision and specific strategies in the Downtown Core Master Plan, Thousand Oaks Boulevard Specific Plan (SP-20), and Civic Arts Plaza Specific Plan (SP-11). The General Plan incorporates the primary components of these plans as follows:
- Amend the Thousand Oaks Boulevard Specific Plan (SP-20) to create new active, pedestrian-oriented commercial and residential uses consistent with the General Plan land use designations.
- Redesign Thousand Oaks Boulevard into a pedestrian-friendly street with street amenities and landscaping.
- Implement gateways and wayfinding signage that mark the arrival into the Downtown.
LU-13.2 Civic Arts Specific Plan.
Redesign the Civic Arts Plaza frontage, building and open space to provide intuitive entrances with pedestrian connectivity between the Kavli Theatre Plaza level and the new Town Square and redevelopment of the Westside Properties (Area C-1 Civic Arts Specific Plan). Implement the following policies:
- Integrate institutional, entertainment, commercial and civic uses on the Civic Arts Plaza and Westside Properties, as part of the Campus Master Plan.
- Retain existing healthy mature trees.
- Provide flexible performance and active public space. Create quiet, contemplative spaces.
- Improve the visual and physical connections from the Kavli Theatre Plaza level to the Town Square and Thousand Oaks Boulevard to encourage theatre patrons to stay and experience downtown.
- Reaffirm the development of civic gathering space within the Campus Master Plan.
LU-13.3 Cultural events and programming.
Transform the Downtown Core into a hub for culture, arts, and events that draws visitors from around Thousand Oaks and the wider Conejo Valley, offering numerous events and programming for participants of all ages, interests, and abilities.
LU-13.4 City-owned Westside property.
Develop the City-owned Westside Property with an outdoor paseo or new street that provides connectivity and opportunities for outdoor gathering, public art, and aesthetic landscaping.
LU-13.5 Boutique hotel.
Encourage the development of a boutique hotel in the Downtown Core.
LU-13.6 Thousand Oaks Boulevard.
Transform Thousand Oaks Boulevard into a pedestrian-friendly, active, and attractive space with wide continuous sidewalks, narrower vehicular travel lanes, safe pedestrian crossings, bicycle and micro-mobility support and facilities, trees and climate-appropriate landscaping.
LU-13.7 Traffic calming.
Introduce traffic calming measures along Thousand Oaks Boulevard near the Downtown Core to slow down vehicles and encourage active transportation.
LU-13.8 Retail and service market area.
Create a vibrant and captive market to support local businesses by promoting mixed-use with housing, retail and dining, hotels, and a diversity of housing types (in terms of size of units, affordability, and tenure) in and around the Downtown Core area.
LU-13.9 Programmable outdoor space.
Integrate both indoor and outdoor programmable spaces to develop robust calendar of events to attract residents and visitors to Downtown Core year-round.
LU-13.10 Parking district.
Pursue a “park once” concept for the Downtown that creates shared or centralized parking to allow visitors to drive to the area, “park once,” and then walk to multiple uses and activities without having to move their vehicles.
LU-13.11 Prohibited uses.
Prohibit the establishment or expansion of the following uses within the Downtown Core, as they detract from creating a walkable and pedestrian-friendly corridor:
- Industrial, warehousing and large-scale manufacturing;
- Contractor’s yards and construction materials with outdoor storage;
- Used or new car sales (Note that the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall is not included in this area.);
- Auto-related businesses such as auto repair, tire sales, oil change, body shops and similar uses;
- Auto storage facilities, indoor and outdoor;
- Self-storage facilities;
- Drive through establishments
Goal LU-14: Activate Thousand Oaks Boulevard as a walkable, mixed-use area with housing, retail, restaurants, office, and services.
LU-14.1 Revitalize the Boulevard.
Support efforts to revitalize Thousand Oaks Boulevard as the main mixed-use boulevard in the City with a diverse mix of multi-family housing types, including multiplexes, courtyard housing and related commercial and retail uses.
LU-14.2 Active ground floor building design.
Require active ground floor building design along all of Thousand Oaks Boulevard within the Downtown Core.
LU-14.3 Prioritize pedestrians.
Prioritize pedestrian and active transportation along Thousand Oaks Boulevard by integrating wide sidewalks, separated bike lanes, and on-site bicycle parking in development projects, when feasible.
LU-14.4 Parking solutions.
Support parking solutions that reduce surface parking lots along Thousand Oaks Boulevard.
LU-14.5 Multi-family housing.
Encourage the development of multi-family housing (either as stand-alone residential buildings or as part of mixed-use projects) along Thousand Oaks Boulevard.
LU-14.6 Parcel Assembly.
Support the consolidation of parcels that facilitate the development of housing and desirable uses.
LU-14.7 Neighborhood goods and services.
Encourage the preservation or addition of retail and service uses that provide for the daily needs of residents, including markets, cafes, childcare, restaurants, healthcare, and other service-oriented uses.
LU-14.8 Mix of uses on Thousand Oaks Boulevard.
Encourage mixed-use development of various housing types, including townhouses, multiplexes, courtyard housing and related commercial that is oriented towards Thousand Oaks Boulevard and interior streets.
LU-14.9 Prohibited uses.
Prohibit the establishment or expansion of the following uses within the Thousand Oaks Boulevard as they detract from creating a walkable and pedestrian-friendly corridor:
- Industrial, warehousing and large-scale manufacturing;
- Contractor’s yards and construction materials with outdoor storage;
- Used or new car sales (Note that the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall is not included in this area.);
- Auto-related businesses such as auto repair, tire sales, oil change, body shops and similar uses;
- Auto storage facilities, indoor and outdoor;
- Self-storage facilities;
- Drive through establishments
LU-14.10 Parks, Open Space Areas, & Community Gathering Spaces.
Work with CRPD to pursue opportunities to provide parks and other open space areas in closer proximity to planned housing and mixed-use projects.
Goal LU-15: Repurpose The Oaks mall into a mixed-use center combining housing, entertainment, visitor serving uses, retail, and other uses in a walkable neighborhood.
LU-15.1 Site planning.
Require the preparation of a specific plan or master plan that envisions the future of the area prior to the approval of substantial new development or redevelopment.
LU-15.2 New neighborhood.
Encourage the transformation of The Oaks mall from a single-use retail center to a high-density, mixed-use, cohesive neighborhood.
LU-15.3 Broad range of uses.
Support a broad range of uses including multi-family housing, regional- and local-serving retail, office, hotels, entertainment and service-oriented uses. Prohibit the following new uses: warehouse, distribution, industrial, manufacturing, auto sales with large parking lots, and auto repair uses.
LU-15.4 Retail.
Maintain a diversity of retail uses so that the new neighborhood provides positive tax revenues for the City of Thousand Oaks and includes uses that provide goods and services for the residents of Thousand Oaks.
LU-15.5 New walkable residential.
Encourage new residential development to be designed in a walkable format. Prohibit the construction of isolated and/or gated communities and connect new to existing development with paths.
LU-15.6 Public gathering space.
Provide publicly accessible gathering spaces such as small parks and plazas to serve residents of new multi-family developments.
LU-15.7 Street network.
As part of the redevelopment of The Oaks, require the creation of new walkable blocks with a public vehicle, pedestrian, or bicycle connection approximately every 600 feet.
LU-15.8 Prioritize pedestrians and bicycles.
Prioritize pedestrian and active transportation along Hillcrest Drive and Lynn Road by integrating new sidewalks, separated bike lanes, and on-site bicycle parking when feasible.
LU-15.9 Building heights.
Allow building heights of up to 75 feet as specified within a specific plan.
LU-15.10 Multifamily Housing.
Facilitate multifamily housing in the existing parking lots at The Oaks mall by allowing for the subdivision of parking areas to create parcels for housing and clustering housing on underutilized portions of the site and/or parking lots. Ensure that the new residential development has a strong sense of place and is connected to nearby retail areas and neighborhoods.
Goal LU-16: Repurpose Moorpark Road between Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Wilbur Road into a mixed-use district.
LU-16.1 Site planning.
Encourage the preparation of a specific plan or master plan effort for the mixed-use and commercial properties along Moorpark Road and W. Hillcrest Drive and Thousand Oaks Boulevard that comprehensively envisions the future of the area prior to the approval of substantial new development or redevelopment.
LU-16.2 Building heights.
Allow building heights of up to 75 feet as specified within a specific plan or zoning height overlay.
LU-16.3 Moorpark Road.
Undertake streetscape improvements to slow traffic speeds and create a pedestrian-friendly environment on Moorpark Road between Thousand Oaks Boulevard and just north of Wilbur Road.
LU-16.4 Building setbacks.
Amend the zoning regulations to reduce setbacks and parking requirements for buildings along Moorpark Road in order to create a walkable urban streetscape.
LU-16.5 Janss Marketplace.
Require the preparation of a Specific Plan for the Janss Marketplace. Repurpose the Janss Marketplace to offer a mix of multi-family residential, hotel, entertainment, visitor serving, and commercial uses that result in a destination for residents of Thousand Oaks and the larger region.
LU-16.6 Multifamily Housing.
Facilitate multifamily housing in the existing parking lots by allowing for the subdivision of parking areas to create parcels for housing and clustering housing on underutilized portions of the site and/or parking lots. Ensure that the new residential development has a strong sense of place and is connected to nearby retail areas and neighborhoods.
Goal LU-17: Reinforce the Rancho Conejo North area as an innovation campus and research park that offers supportive commercial, and hospitality uses.
LU-17.1 Biotech and technology hub.
Support the continued expansion of the biotech and technologies industries.
LU-17.2 Variety of office types.
Support the development of business incubator space, wet labs, research and development space, modern offices, and co-working spaces as desired by the market.
LU-17.3 Warehouse and distribution.
Prohibit the construction of new buildings that primarily provide large scale warehouse and distribution services.
LU-17.4 Redevelopment of buildings.
Support the redevelopment of older industrial and commercial uses into higher intensity office, and research and development buildings.
LU-17.5 Building heights.
Allow buildings of up to 75 feet in the Industrial Flex land use designation.
LU-17.6 Street network.
As redevelopment occurs, encourage the construction of new roadways and upgrade existing roadways to include improved pedestrian and bicycle amenities to create a more fine-grained transportation network.
LU-17.7 Amgen coordination.
Coordinate with Amgen to maintain their headquarters and campus.
Goal LU-18: Diversify land uses along Highway 101 Corridor in Rancho Conejo South.
LU-18.1 Mixed-use center.
Encourage the development of a mixed-use development area with housing, office, service uses and retail in the area generally bounded by Teller Road, West Hillcrest Drive, and Rancho Conejo Boulevard to serve employees of office and research and development uses.
LU-18.2 Hotel and hospitality uses.
Support the addition of hotel and conference amenities that support employment uses along the Highway 101 corridor.
LU-18.3 Mixed-use community on Hillcrest Drive.
Develop a mixed-use community on Hillcrest Drive that supports workforce housing for the Rancho Conejo industrial area and the following:
- Improve connectivity to adjacent transportation modes, including Park-N-Ride facilities, bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
- Provide transitional uses, design features, and setbacks from the existing neighborhood to the east.
LU-18.4 Borchard property.
Require the preparation of a Specific Plan or Master Plan for the vacant site located southwest of the intersection of Borchard Road and Highway 101 with the following:
- A mixed-use district with a diversity of housing types, retail, and community uses. On-site dedication and construction of a park.
- Residential or other compatible uses adjacent to the existing neighborhood. In particular, compatible uses should also face Alice Drive and Strauss Drive.
- Bicycle path improvements and connections between the existing neighborhood and Borchard Road.
- Transitions to adjacent single-family residential neighborhoods. This could include setbacks, landscape buffers, and transitions or variations in building height and massing.
- A maximum of 3 story buildings (or 35 feet in height) within 100 feet of existing single family neighborhoods.
Goal LU-19: Enhance the Westlake and East End employment districts as a cohesive mix of employment, commercial, and hospitality uses.
LU-19.1 Commercial intersection.
Support the continued commercial uses in the East End and Westlake area, particularly The Promenade at Westlake and Westlake Plaza.
LU-19.2 Intensify employment uses.
Support intensification of industrial and employment uses southeast of Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Lakeview Canyon Road, including attracting new and expanding biotech and tech businesses.
LU-19.3 Variety of office types.
Encourage development of business incubator space, research and development space, offices, and co-working spaces as desired by the market in the employment and industrial areas both north and south of Highway 101 in the Westlake and East End areas.
Goal LU-20: Develop thriving, walkable Village Centers that support the daily needs of residents within the vicinity.
LU-20.1 Retail and services.
Require that at least 50% of the existing retail square footage be incorporated when a site is redeveloped in order to ensure that retail and services remain within walking distance of residential neighborhoods.
LU-20.2 Multi-family housing.
Encourage the addition of multi-family housing at the Mixed-Use Village Centers at the Moorpark Road and Janss Road intersection, and Erbes Road and Avenida de Los Arboles intersection. The addition of multi-family housing can be facilitated by allowing the redevelopment of portions of the site, adding residential to existing parking lots, or adaptive reuse of existing buildings.
LU-20.3 Gathering spaces.
Introduce new public gathering places in Village Centers such as plazas or courtyards.
LU-20.4 Bicycle and pedestrian connections.
Improve pedestrian and bicycle connections between Village Centers and neighborhoods within approximately one mile of the Village Center. Improved connections could include new pedestrian connections through cul-de-sacs, upgraded pedestrian crossings, the additional of bicycle facilities such as bike paths or separated bike lanes and bicycle parking.
LU-20.5 Subdivision for housing.
Allow the subdividing of commercial or parking areas to create parcels for multifamily housing development proposals.
Non Sub Area Maps
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