Topic
Mixed-Use and New Development
The section below identifies goals and policies throughout the General Plan related to Mixed-Use and New Development. Use the buttons below to jump to a specific chapter.
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-1.4 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.
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-5.5 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-5.7 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.
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-8.8 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-9.8 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-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-13.4 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-13.8 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-13.11 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-14.5 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-14.8 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
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-15.2 New neighborhood.
Encourage the transformation of The Oaks mall from a single-use retail center to a high-density, mixed-use, cohesive neighborhood.
LU-15.5 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-15.10 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-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-18.4 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-20: Develop thriving, walkable Village Centers that support the daily needs of residents within the vicinity.
LU-20.5 Subdivision for housing.
Allow the subdividing of commercial or parking areas to create parcels for multifamily housing development proposals.
Goal M-3: Create and maintain a transportation system that improves community health.
M-3.5 Mixed-use development.
Require development of mixed-use to include multimodal improvements, such as convenient bicycle parking and storage facilities, electric vehicle charging stations, and vehicle share programs for reduced parking.
Goal POS-2: Complete the connected ring of natural open space around the developed portions of Thousand Oaks.
POS-2.6 Regional advocacy.
Support regional planning efforts which promote infill development within cities, avoid sprawling development, and preserve large open area buffers and wildlife corridors between cities.
Goal POS-5: Manage open spaces to reduce risk of natural hazards and promote the safety of the public.
POS-5.4 New developments.
Plan new developments to avoid direct and secondary impacts on valuable open space resources, including visual impacts from the trail system, appropriate access control, location, and maintenance of fuel modification areas.
Goal C-2: Minimize and mitigate the visual effects of new urban development on hillsides.
C-2.1 Hillside areas.
Employ site and architectural design techniques to blend development into the hillside terrain.
C-2.2 Slope development.
Limit development on steep slopes and ridgelines.
C-2.3 Grading.
Update standards for the height of manufactured slopes and limitations on grading in areas of 25% or greater natural grade.
Goal C-5: Properly manage, conserve, and protect native plant communities.
C-5.5 Landscape design.
Encourage new development to incorporate native or regionally adaptive vegetation into landscape plans and prohibit the use of species known to be invasive according to the California Invasive Plant Inventory.
Goal C-10: Achieve and maintain air quality that protects public health, safety, and welfare for those who live or work in the City and for visitors.
C-10.6 Health Risk Assessments for residential near freeways.
Require new development within 500 feet of freeways and roadways with over 100,000 vehicle trips per day that include residential uses or other sensitive receptors prepare a health risk assessment (HRA) to identify potential health risk impacts. Based on the results of the HRA, the City shall require mitigation measures as necessary, to reduce potential exposure to toxic air contaminants.
C-10.7 Construction Health Risk Assessments.
Require new development that is within 1,000 feet of sensitive receptors, will take longer than 2 months, and or does not utilize construction equipment that is USEPA Tier 4, fitted with Level 3 Diesel Particulate Filter, or uses alternative fuel to prepare a construction health risk assessment (HRA) to identify potential health risk impacts. Based on the results of the HRA, the City shall require mitigation measures as necessary, to reduce potential exposure to toxic air contaminants.
Goal C-11: Protect historical and culturally significant resources, which contribute to the community’s sense of identity.
C-11.4 Native American consultation.
Conduct Native American consultation consistent with most recent regulations when new development is proposed in culturally sensitive areas.
Goal CFS-1: Develop citywide infrastructure that supports existing and future development.
CFS-1.2 Development impact fees.
Require new and existing development to pay its fair share of infrastructure and public service costs to support ongoing maintenance and operations.
CFS-1.3 Sustainable design.
Promote the design of infrastructure projects that use sustainable materials, reduce carbon emissions, and minimize energy, water and waste during construction.
CFS-1.4 Infrastructure as amenities.
Encourage designs that allow infrastructure to serve dual purposes (e.g., green infrastructure, flood control access roads and multi-use paths).
Goal CFS-2: Support access to high quality telecommunication services.
CFS-2.3 Undergrounding of utilities.
Place new and existing utilities underground to promote attractive development and reduce wildfire risk.
Goal CFS-4: Encourage building and landscape design that conserves or recycles water.
CFS-4.6 Pervious paving.
Minimize the use of impervious materials wherever possible and utilize pervious wherever possible to promote and facilitate groundwater recharge.
Goal CFS-7: Provide stormwater drainage facilities with capacity during storm events.
CFS-7.3 Development impact fees.
Require new development to fund fair-share costs associated with the provision of stormwater drainage systems.
Goal CFS-8: Achieve and maintain applicable surface water and groundwater quality standards.
CFS-8.3 Stormwater runoff compliance.
Ensure that all new development complies with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System requirements for stormwater and runoff.
Goal CFS-14: Ensure access to quality health and mental healthcare and social services that support all stages of living in Thousand Oaks.
CFS-14.5 Medical support infill.
Encourage other medical support uses on the commercial and institutional properties adjacent to Los Robles Hospital.
Goal AC-1: Embrace arts and culture as a key partner to Thousand Oaks’ economic development.
AC-1.2 Creative spaces.
Prioritize the development of arts and creative spaces and gathering places within mixed use, commercial, retail, and civic developments.
Goal S-4: Mitigate loss of life, injury, property damage, and economic and social dislocations resulting from inundation by dam failure or floods.
S-4.1 New development in flood zones.
Require new development in flood zones and dam inundation areas to minimize flood potential and ensure that development siting and design features will not increase flood inundation potential offsite. Regulate filing, grading, dredging, and other development that may increase flood damage.
Goal S-5: Provide necessary prevention services to reduce loss and damage due to wildfire.
S-5.2 Road widths and clearances.
Ensure that new development has appropriate road widths and clearances in accordance with:
- Standards specified in the City of Thousand Oaks Road Standards and construction specifications in effect at the time of construction.
- Any other standard and specific conditions required by State and County Fire Codes and VCFD in the permit application.
S-5.10 Fire protection for new development.
Require that all new development have adequate fire protection and that development can be served with VCFD’s response time goal.
S-5.11 Develop fire safety compliance.
Ensure that all new development in SRAs or VHFHSZs complies with fire safety requirements, including the most current version of the California Building Codes, California Fire Code, and Fire Safe Regulations for fuel modification around homes and subdivisions.
S-5.19 Siting new development.
Prioritize all new residential development to be built outside the VHFHSZ.
S-5.20 Fire Protection Plans.
Require Fire Protection Plans for all new development in VHFHSZs.
Goal S-9: Protect life and property from the potential effects of terrorism.
S-9.1 Terrorist vulnerability.
As part of the development review process, conduct vulnerability assessments of terrorist-sensitive facilities and, where practical, implement measures to protect these facilities against terrorist acts. Terrorist-sensitive facilities include places that are at-risk for terrorism, including, but not limited to, government offices, schools, and religious facilities.
Goal N-1: Promote a pattern of land uses that is compatible with current and future noise levels.
N-1.1 Acoustical studies.
Require an acoustical study and, as necessary, noise attenuation for proposed developments that may be exposed to noise exceeding the normally acceptable range identified Table 11.2 or where a project has the potential to result in a significant increase in noise, as defined in Table 11.3.
N-1.2 Noise-reducing design features.
Incorporate design features into land use projects that can be used to shield residents from noise exceeding the normally acceptable ranges included in Table 11.2. Design features may include, but are not limited to berms, walls, and sound attenuating building configuration, architectural design, and construction method and materials.
N-1.3 Mixed-use developments.
Require design and construction of mixed-use developments to achieve noise levels in the conditionally acceptable range or lower per Table 11.2 for outdoor recreation areas associated with residential components and to achieve interior noise levels in residences of 45 CNEL or lower, consistent with Title 24 interior noise standards.
Goal N-2: Minimize adverse noise impacts associated with transportation.
N-2.2 Noise sensitive receptors and roadway noise.
Protect sensitive receptors from freeway and roadway noise through minimization techniques, including building configuration and design, sound walls, traffic calming, traffic diversion, or rubberized asphalt.
Goal N-3: Minimize excessive intermittent noise.
N-3.1 Construction noise.
Use the noise levels shown in Table 11.4, adopted from Federal Transit Administration (FTA) standards, as thresholds of significance for construction noise and, as necessary, require mitigation for construction activities that would result in significant noise impacts.
N-3.2 Noise reduction for construction.
Require the following noise reduction techniques for all construction activity in the City:
- Require power construction equipment with noise shielding and silencing devices consistent with manufacturer’s standards or the Best Available Control Technology;
- Prohibit use of driven (impact), sonic, or vibratory pile drivers, except in locations where the underlying geology renders alternative methods infeasible, as determined by a soils or geotechnical engineer and documented in a soils report;
- Utilize noise attenuating measures or screening for all outdoor mechanical equipment from off-site noise-sensitive uses;
- Locate construction staging areas as far from noise-sensitive uses as reasonably possible and feasible in consideration of site boundaries, topography, intervening roads and uses, and operational constraints;
- For construction activity that even with the above requirements would or may still generate noise exceeding the significance thresholds in Policy N-3.2, investigate the use of additional feasible noise reduction techniques, including but not limited to the use of temporary sound barriers between the noise-generating activity and affected sensitive uses
Corresponding Implementation Actions
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Action | Goal | Chapter | Timeframe | Lead Responsibility | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | LU-A.1 Comprehensive zoning code update. Following the adoption of the General Plan, prepare a comprehensive update to the Citywide zoning code. | LU-1 | Land Use | Short | Community Development | |
| 2 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | LU-A.2 Create new mixed-use zoning district. Following the adoption of the General Plan, create a new mixed-use zoning district, including performance standards for infill development on parking lots and commercial structures. | LU-5 | Land Use | Short | Community Development | Parking, Mixed-Use and New Development |
| 3 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 16/12/2024 10:39 PM | LU-A.3 Inclusionary Housing Program. Adopt and implement an Inclusionary Housing Program. | LU-3 and LU-4 | Land Use | Short | Community Development | Equity, Mixed-Use and New Development |
| 4 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | LU-A.4 Campus Master Plan. Implement vision of the Downtown Core Master Plan by redesigning the Civic Arts Plaza. | LU-13 | Land Use | Medium | City Manager’s Office | Civic Arts Plaza and Culture |
| 5 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | LU-A.5 Creation of a downtown core. Initiate public/private partnerships to redevelop Thousand Oaks Boulevard as a “main street” with public, retail, lodging, entertainment and/or multi-family uses. | LU-13 and LU-14 | Land Use | Long | City Manager’s Office | Jobs and Economic Development, Mixed-Use and New Development |
| 6 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | LU-A.6 Update specific plans. Update Specific Plans where policy changes are required pursuant to the 2045 General Plan policies, starting with the Thousand Oaks Boulevard Specific Plan. | LU-1, LU-13, and LU-14 | Land Use | Short | Community Development | |
| 7 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | LU-A.7 Specific plan or master plan preparation. Coordinate with property owners of key opportunity sites to prepare Specific Plan or Master Plan efforts for the following areas: The Oaks, Moorpark Road/Janss Marketplace, Highway 101 Corridor/Borchard Property | LU-15, LU-16, LU-17, and LU-18 | Land Use | Medium | Community Development | |
| 8 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | LU-A.8 Mixed-use and adaptive reuse parking requirements study. Conduct a study to investigate modifying parking requirements for new mixed-use development and adaptive reuse projects. Revise the Thousand Oaks Municipal Code accordingly. | LU-5 | Land Use | Short | Community Development | Sustainability, Health, Parking, Mixed-Use and New Development |
| 9 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | LU-A.9 Municipal code review for healthy housing. Review, revise, and update the municipal code (as well as other relevant plans, procedures, regulations, guidelines, programs, and design manuals) to promote healthy housing quality. | LU-4 | Land Use | Long | Community Development | Residential Neighborhoods, Health |
| 10 | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | christian | 13/12/2024 05:44 PM | LU-A.10 Affordable housing linkage fee. Study and determine nexus to implement a fee program where new commercial and/or industrial developments pay a fee to fund affordable housing units. | LU-3 and LU-4 | Land Use | Short | Community Development | Equity, Mixed-Use and New Development |