The Council hereby finds that the terrain of certain areas of the City provides a unique and substantial character to the area and forms an integral part of the City’s total environment. Due to their physical dominance on the City’s landscape, development of the hillside areas will definitely affect the visual and environmental character of the community. The City’s primary objective regarding hillside development is to preserve the natural terrain, quality environment, and aesthetic character of the City while encouraging creative, innovative, and safe residential development with a variety of housing types. Such characteristics will only be achieved when special consideration is given to those developments, subdivisions, and lot splits within hillside areas on an individual basis and proper consideration of the variations in conditions, design criteria, and other requirements which must be flexible in order to achieve a development that meets the foregoing purpose consistent with the policies set forth in this section.
Subdivisions and other developments in hillside areas shall be subject to the provisions of this article where the H-P-D Zone has been assigned to specific hillside areas as a result of public hearings held pursuant to the provisions of Article 29 of this title.
In enacting the provisions of this article, it is the intention and policy of the City to:
(a) Encourage only minimal grading which relates to the natural contour of the land, and which will round off, in a natural manner, sharp angles at the top and ends of cut and fill slopes, and which does not result in a “staircase” or “padding” effect;
(b) Require the retention of trees and other vegetation which stabilize steep hillsides, retain moisture, prevent erosion, and enhance the natural scenic beauty and, where necessary, require additional landscaping to enhance the scenic and safety qualities of the hillsides,
(c) Encourage a variety of building types and design, when appropriate, to materially reduce grading and disturbance of the natural character of the area;
(d) Require immediate planting wherever appropriate to maintain necessary cut and fill slopes, to stabilize them by plant roots, and to conceal the raw soil from view;
(e) Require the retention of natural landmarks and prominent natural features which enhance the character of a specific area, for example, the natural skyline; and
(f) Impose appropriate conditions on the development of all slopes to obtain conformity with the approved development policies of the Thousand Oaks Development Plan and the policies set forth in this section.
(§ 1, Ord. 224-NS, eff. September 9, 1971)