NORTH BUSINESS PARK SPECIFIC PLAN

Government:

Development Framework Guides Future Land Use Activity in the City of Westlake Village

IN CALIFORNIA’S LEGISLATIVE LANDSCAPE WHERE LOCAL CONTROL OF LAND USE DECISIONS ARE CONSTANTLY DIMINISHING, CITIES SUCH AS WESTLAKE VILLAGE MUST BE PROACTIVE, CREATIVE, AND OPENMINDED TO ENSURE THAT DECISIONS STAY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.

The North Business Park Specific Plan (Plan) is a long-term effort by the Westlake Village City Council and Staff to do exactly that; keep decisions in the hands of the local community and not let Sacramento apply ‘One size fits all’ policies to our special hometown. The City-initiated Plan adopted in June 2020, establishes a vision and development framework to guide land use activity, development, and reinvestment in the planning area depicted in Figure 1. The Plan is a comprehensive planning document and regulatory tool for implementing the City’s General Plan and guiding development in this focused area through customized land use regulations and recommendations for public realm improvements.

What the Plan is not however, is a construction project. The adoption of the Plan does not necessarily mean construction is imminent because the City does not own property in the Plan area apart from streets and public rights-of-way. That means embracing the Plan’s new framework falls largely in the hands of private property owners.

Westlake Village began as a planned community, thoughtfully establishing where development should go, what it should look like, and the types of public amenities, which must be included. Establishing the Plan carries into the future the City’s founding values of maintaining local control, quality aesthetics, high levels of community services, and public safety. The North Business Park has gone through a transformation in the past two decades in response to market pressures to redevelop older, outdated facilities within a desirable trade area.

As such, several of the older industrial properties in the southern portion of the business park have redeveloped with other uses, including the Four Seasons hotel, spa and wellness center, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Headquarters (formerly Dole corporate headquarters), Oaks Christian School, and Calvary Community Church. These investments have improved the image of the community as viewed from the U.S. 101 Freeway and have caused increased interest among other property owners regarding what they might do with their properties. This is further evident through a current application Staff are reviewing to redevelop the City’s last remaining industrial manufacturing facility along Cedarvalley Drive into a modern, best in class senior living facility.

The Plan provides a long-range strategy for revitalizing the business park, enhance the City’s economic base, define new public spaces to serve the business park and the entire community, and provide a wider range of housing options within the City. The Plan meets the City’s goal of taking a long-term view of what land uses are appropriate for this area by providing greater flexibility in permitted land uses to capture economic potential both in the short-term and long-term. It provides for higher density zoning and the addition of housing at appropriate locations within the Plan area, while not increasing density to the degree that it overburdens the surrounding street system and causes unavoidable significant impacts. It establishes a framework for viable, high quality development and public improvements that are in character with the quality of design established within the City and respects the high value the community places on open space.

Bringing us back to where we started with local control, the adoption of the Plan also led to another major milestone in the City’s history; adoption of a Housing Element that was ultimately certified by the State. For the first time in decades, Westlake Village is now in compliance with State law; ultimately reducing the State’s ability to make decisions for us. The Plan was crafted not to be a panacea in meeting State requirements, but rather, to make sure the City is proactively taking thoughtful and measured steps to keep decisions local all the while being part of the solution in solving the State’s housing crisis. Where change is constant around us, cities must continue to plan for that change and adapt for the days ahead.

FIGURE 1

BELOW ARE A FEW OF THE PLAN’S KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

- Conceived as a long-range plan intended to span up to 25 years.

- Enables high-quality residential developments; up to 607 new units.

- Avoids State imposed housing without local control.

- Improves traffic flow throughout the Plan area.

- Reduces the office and commercial footprint in the Plan area by nearly 400,000 square feet.

- Would ultimately lead to infrastructure improvements including over ~4 miles of new sidewalks and ~3 miles of bike lanes improving mobility options within the Specific Plan area.

-Envisions approximately 4 acres of new open spaces, trails, and other community gathering places.

-Responds to and prepares for changing economic conditions.

Allows for the creation of new revenue streams that maintain and improve City services.

Government: