Thousand Oaks council denies appeals, upholds planning commission approval for Conejo Summit industrial park

Thousand Oaks City Council voted 5-0 on Oct. 21 to deny two appeals and uphold the Planning Commission’s certification of the final environmental impact report for the Conejo Summit project, a proposed 15-building industrial and ancillary development on about 50 acres in the Rancho Conejo industrial area.

The decision preserves the planning commission’s approval of project entitlements and the mitigation measures included in the final EIR, resolving appeals filed by Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility (SAFER) and Californians Allied for Responsible Economy (Care California), which challenged the EIR’s analysis of biological resources, air quality, health risk and other impacts.

The Conejo Summit project, as described in staff materials and the EIR, would reconfigure existing lots and construct approximately 755,000 square feet of industrial space across 15 buildings, with associated grading, parking (about 1,600 stalls), utilities, landscaping and signage. The proposal included two waivers related to building height and setback standards and a protected-tree permit; the applicant reported up to 22 protected trees could be removed, with replacement at a 3:1 ratio (66 trees to be planted on site).

Supporters of the project, including the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, told the council the development would diversify the city’s employment base and create jobs. Ed Casey, counsel for applicant Chappell Properties, said the project is intended as an “advanced manufacturing” business park tailored to local market needs and has been under planning review for years.

Appellants raised multiple technical objections. Brian Flynn, attorney for SAFER, said the EIR identified potentially significant nitrogen-oxide and reactive organic gas emissions and, he argued, the city relied prematurely on an off-site transportation demand management (TDM) fee instead of first requiring more on-site mitigation — for example, additional electric-vehicle charging, expanded rooftop solar or shorter truck idling limits. Aidan Marshall, counsel for Care California, urged the council to remand the project and prepare a revised EIR, saying the EIR did not demonstrate that proposed fee-based mitigation would actually offset the pounds-per-day of NOx and ROG the EIR projects.

City staff and the city’s environmental consultant, Environmental Science Associates, responded that the EIR followed CEQA, that written responses to public comments were included, and that mitigation relied upon existing Ventura County Air Pollution Control District guidance for TDM fees. The project’s biological analysis, the city said, relied on extensive field surveys and agency-accepted methodologies; Dudek, the city’s biological consultant, reported results of focused surveys and recommended mitigation measures including preconstruction surveys, biological monitors, relocation plans where appropriate and habitat enhancement funding on adjacent open-space lands.

After hearing presentations, rebuttals and public comment, Council Member Adam moved to follow staff recommendations to deny the appeals, uphold the Planning Commission’s certification of the EIR, adopt the mitigation monitoring and reporting program, and approve the Conejo Summit entitlements. The motion passed 5-0 (Council Members Adam, Angler, Gutierrez, Mayor Pro Tem Taylor and Mayor Newman voting yes).

Votes at a glance - Motion to deny two appeals, uphold Planning Commission certification of the final EIR, adopt mitigation monitoring and reporting program, and approve Conejo Summit project: Passed 5–0. - Project summary: ~755,000 sq ft; 15 industrial buildings; ~50 acres; up to 22 protected trees potentially removed; tree replacement at 3:1 ratio.

What proponents and opponents said - Proponents: The project aligns with long-range planning for the Rancho Conejo employment park and is designed to support local job growth and advanced manufacturing uses. - Opponents: The appellants argued the EIR understates environmental impacts for air quality and certain wildlife, and that the document should consider additional on-site mitigation before relying on off-site fee programs.

What’s next - With the council vote, the project approvals and EIR certification stand. The applicant may proceed to the construction-permit and plan-check stage, which will trigger building-code and plan-check requirements in effect at the time of submittal. Staff noted that building-code updates that occur before plan submittal will apply to those plans.