Agoura Hills council approves downtown concept planning work and code changes to speed business approvals

The Agoura Hills City Council voted 5‑0 to advance a two‑track economic development effort: hire a consultant to produce a high‑level concept plan for a potential activity center (budgeted at $50,000 in the current fiscal year) and pursue zoning code changes designed to streamline and speed approvals for businesses.

Assistant City Manager Ramiro Adeva presented the update and said staff and the economic development subcommittee have spent months meeting with shopping‑center owners, commercial real estate brokers, the Chamber of Commerce and local business owners. Amy Brink, Director of Community Services, and Communications Manager Mary Haddad summarized outreach: two business‑and‑breakfast sessions (50–70 attendees each), a new business newsletter, a “business highlight” campaign on social media, and a community economic survey that recorded about 86 responses.

The survey found 51% of respondents shop or dine in Agoura Hills weekly but 86% reported leaving the city to shop or dine; Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks and Calabasas were listed most frequently as destinations. Respondents said they would most like to see specialty grocery stores (57%), more restaurants and high‑end dining (50%), more alcohol‑serving establishments (41%) and wellness/fitness businesses (30%).

Community Development Director Denise Thomas recommended three zoning/code changes to reduce barriers for new and existing businesses: (1) broaden the city’s use table and grant the director clearer discretion to approve similar uses so applicants aren’t automatically required to pursue time‑consuming zoning amendments; (2) make parking calculations more flexible for new tenants — including allowing administrative reductions and recognizing experiential uses (tasting rooms, small performance venues) with lower parking demand; and (3) allow administrative approvals for common restaurant alcohol licenses with neighborhood notice and an escalation path to the Planning Commission if needed.

Adeva described the $50,000 concept plan as a first, high‑level deliverable to test site feasibility and stakeholder interest. The draft schedule in the packet anticipated a six‑month contract with public workshops and subcommittee updates; staff said the work would inform FY2026–27 budgeting if the council decides to pursue subsequent steps. Adeva and Director Thomas stressed that a consultant is needed to produce market‑and‑site analysis and to help structure potential public–private partnership scenarios.

Council discussion touched on scope and priorities. Council member Anstead asked that staff consider all major commercial centers, not only the parcel across from City Hall, when recommending sites; Adeva warned a full city‑wide study would likely exceed $50,000 and suggested the initial concept plan be targeted but followed with a larger study if the council desired. Council member Anderson and others asked staff to return with concrete timelines and service‑level expectations for any code changes. Council member Klein Lopez asked that staff model rate and cost implications for businesses where relevant and acknowledged the city’s limited resources for broad consultant work.

Mayor Pro Tem Jeremy Wolf moved to approve the staff recommendations to proceed with the concept plan work and to pursue the code amendments and administrative procedures described; Council member Deborah Klein Lopez seconded. The motion passed 5‑0.

What to expect: staff will issue a scope for a concept‑plan consultant, start stakeholder outreach and return with draft code amendment language and recommended administrative procedures (including recommended notice and appeal procedures) for the council to consider.