Agoura Hills council approves 2025 arterial streetscape master plan

The Agoura Hills City Council on Oct. 1 approved the 2025 update to the city's Arterial Streetscape Master Plan in a 5-0 roll-call vote.

City Engineer Charmaine Yambaugh and landscape consultant Brian Brodersen outlined changes to planting palettes for the city's five arterial roadways, including Agoura Road, Canaan Road, Liberty Canyon, Reyes Adobe and Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Staff said the update preserves the plan's original goal of a predominantly native palette while adding adaptive and low-maintenance species that have proven successful in the field.

"Staff respectfully recommends the city council approve the 2025 update of the City of Agoura Hills' arterial streetscape master plan," Yambaugh told the council.

Council discussion focused on why some plants perform differently in different medians, maintenance capacity and public engagement. Council members and staff said the plan adopts a phased approach to any tree removal and replacement to reduce community disruption and to protect oak trees where possible. Mayor Pro Tem Wolf said the phased outreach would be thorough: "we're gonna be doing this in a really phased methodical approach with a lot of public outreach," he said, noting the sensitivity residents feel about medians and parkways.

The plan makes several specific changes from the 2017 guidance: removing poorly performing species, adding tested native shrubs and two new trees in select medians (for example, the desert willow on Agoura Road and toyon on Thousand Oaks Boulevard), and limiting use of high-maintenance shrubs in favor of low-maintenance accents. The Public Works Subcommittee reviewed draft revisions in June and August and recommended limiting certain nonnative plantings and using phased removals.

Councilmember Barry Anderson moved the measure; Mayor Pro Tem Wolf seconded. The clerk recorded a unanimous vote in favor.

Next steps include posting the updated master plan on the city website, developing detailed design plans for Canaan Road and other priority corridors, and returning proposed construction and maintenance phases to the Public Works Subcommittee for additional public input and implementation scheduling. Staff said the city will coordinate outreach with homeowners associations and other community groups as designs move toward construction.

Implementation will be staged; staff emphasized budget and maintenance limits and said the plan is intended to be a living document adjusted as on-the-ground results are observed.