(a) Purpose. The purpose of this initiative is to re-adopt for the City of Thousand Oaks its Urban Restriction Boundary and the protections of lands designated as Existing Parks, Golf Courses, Open Space, as set forth in the Parks Initiative. The Thousand Oaks City Urban Restriction Boundary (Thousand Oaks CURB) line has the following objectives:
(1) To encourage efficient growth patterns and protect the City of Thousand Oaks' quality of life by concentrating future development largely within existing developed areas, or, in some cases, directly adjacent to them, consistent with the availability of infrastructure and services;
(2) To promote on lands outside the Thousand Oaks CURB line ongoing agricultural and other natural resource and open space uses as defined in Government Code Section 65560(b), such as preservation of natural resources and natural habitat, public and private outdoor recreation, uses that foster public health and safety, and productive investment for farming enterprises;
(3) To manage the City's growth in a manner that fosters and protects the character of Thousand Oaks while encouraging appropriate economic development in accordance with the City's unique local conditions;
(4) To allow the City to continue to meet its reasonable housing needs for all economic segments of the population, especially low and moderate income households, by directing the development of housing into areas where services and infrastructure are more efficiently available; and
(5) To promote stability in long term planning for the City by establishing a cornerstone policy within the General Plan designating the geographic limits of long term urban development and allowing sufficient flexibility within those limits to respond to the City's changing needs over time.
The Parks Initiative has similar purposes, and works symbiotically with the SOAR measure, with its intent focused on protecting the unique position held by lands designated Existing Parks, Golf Courses, Open Space within the City's planning area.
(b) Findings.
(1) The protection of existing agricultural, open space and watershed lands surrounding the City of Thousand Oaks is of critical importance to present and future residents of the City of Thousand Oaks. Agriculture has been and remains a major contributor to the economy of the City and County of Ventura, directly and indirectly creating employment for many people and generating substantial tax revenues for the City.
(2) In particular, the City of Thousand Oaks and surrounding area, with its unique topography, viewsheds, watershed lands and proximity to unique soils, micro-climate and hydrology, is a gate-keeper to one of the finest growing regions in the world. Ranch land, vegetable and fruit production from the County of Ventura and in particular the importance of the Calleguas watershed, Hidden Valley, Tierra Rejada Valley and alluvial plains adjacent to the City have achieved international acclaim, enhancing the City's economy and reputation. As importantly, the ring of open space around the City provides a unique open space buffer of immense importance to the protection of the wildlife indigenous to the area.
(3) Continued urban encroachment into agricultural, open space or watershed areas will impair agriculture and threaten the public health, safety and welfare by causing increased traffic congestion, associated air pollution, not only for the City but for its jurisdictional neighbors. Such urban encroachment would eventually result in both the unnecessary, expensive extension of public services and facilities and inevitable conflicts between urban, agricultural and open space uses.
(4) The unique character of the City of Thousand Oaks and quality of life of City residents depend on the protection of a substantial amount of open space, rural and agricultural lands both within and without its City limits. Part of that unique character requiring protection is the land use designations of Existing Parks, Golf Courses, Open Space within the City’s planning area.
The protection of such lands not only ensures the continued viability of agriculture, but also protects the available water supply to surrounding communities and contributes to flood control and the protection of wildlife, environmentally sensitive areas, and irreplaceable natural resources. As importantly, continuing the existence of the City Urban Restriction Boundary around the City of Thousand Oaks would promote the formation and continuation of a cohesive community by defining the boundaries and by helping to prevent urban sprawl. Such a City Urban Restriction Boundary has and will continue to promote the efficient municipal services and facilities by confining urban development to defined development areas.
(5) This initiative ensures that the important Goals and Policies of the general plan are inviolable against transitory short-term political decisions and that agricultural, watershed and open space lands are not prematurely or unnecessarily converted to other non-agricultural or non-open space uses without public debate and a vote of the people.
Accordingly, the initiative requires that until December 31, 2050, the City of Thousand Oaks shall restrict the provision of urban services, or creation of urban uses, other than in certain circumstances and according to specific procedures set forth in this initiative measure, within the Urban Restriction Boundary created in 1998 by initiative, and extended by this initiative measure using the location of the Sphere of Influence Line established by the Local Agency Formation Commission as of January 1, 1998. Although the Sphere of Influence has since been expanded to include the Broome Ranch, the CURB line shall continue to be in its current location, coterminous with the Sphere of Influence line applicable to the City of Thousand Oaks in existence on January 1,1998, approved by the Local Agency Formation Commission.
(6) Although established in the same location as the Sphere of Influence line as it existed as of January 1, 1998, the CURB is not intended to and shall in no way inhibit, and has not inhibited, the Local Agency Formation Commission from changing or altering the Sphere of Influence line in accordance with state law. The two lines although coincidentally coterminous as of one point in time are independent one from the other in legal significance and purpose. While the Sphere of Influence line may be altered by the Local Agency Formation Commission in accordance with the provisions of state law, the Urban Restriction Boundary is a local land use policy of the City and shall not be changed except as herein provided.
(7) The Parks Initiative calls out the protection of lands designated by the City of Thousand Oaks as Existing Parks, Golf Courses, Open Space in the general plan. Said lands shall remain as so designated, absent a vote of the public until December 31, 2050.
(§ 1, Ord. 1328-NS, eff. December 4, 1998; as amended by § 2, Ord. 1628-NS, eff. December 23, 2016)