NEWBURY PARK : Council to Review Housing Project OK

Prompted by angry residents, the Thousand Oaks City Council has scheduled a special meeting to review a Planning Commission decision to approve the construction of a housing development and a shopping center in Newbury Park.

The council in an emergency vote this week agreed to reconsider the commission’s decision to approve a proposal by developer Ned Cohan to build 170 houses and townhouses and a shopping center at Reino Road and Kimber Drive.

Residents bordering the site say the housing project is too dense for the adjacent neighborhood and will bring unwanted traffic congestion to the area, said Douglas Bisacchi, a member of the South Knollwood Homeowners Assn.

Councilman Alex Fiore said Cohan has reduced the density of the project at the residents’ request since it was rejected last year by the council.

The city’s policy is not to review a project once the commission approves it unless there are unusual circumstances or overwhelming opposition, he added.

“There’s going to have to be some compelling reasons for me to vote against the project,” Fiore said.

The special meeting will be held July 28 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.