ZONING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
The Zoning Map and Zoning Ordinance embody the community’s goal for land use regulation, which helps preserve the quality of life of Agoura Hills. The Zoning Map designates districts in the City where certain land uses are permitted. The Zoning Ordinance regulates the development standards for all land uses. The department provides assistance to the public on questions regarding general zoning in the City over the phone, in person or through the City’s website.
The department is also responsible for coordinating various advance planning and special land use studies for reviews by the Planning Commission and City Council.
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW AND APPLICATION PROCESS
This department is responsible for providing analysis and recommendations to the City Council, Planning Commission and Architectural Review Panel on all development projects in the City.
GENERAL PLAN
The General Plan is the City's constitution for land use. It is a state mandated long range plan for the future of Agoura Hills and embodies the desires of the community for landuse and development. It helps preserve the quality of life by turning the visions of the community into reality through a number of implementation measures. The Planning Department is currently updating its General Plan. General Plan Update
CODE ENFORCEMENT
The City continues to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public and addressing public nuisance and visual blight by assuring that compliance is met with the Municipal Code.
REGIONAL PLANNING
The Planning Department is responsible for evaluating and making recommendations on regional issues such as traffic, housing, air quality, open space preservation and land use planning which require regional solutions to protect and promote the quality of life in the region.
OPEN SPACE
Over one-third of the City's land area is designated for open space. The sheer abundance of open space in and around the City make Agoura Hills unique. The department is responsible for planning and implementing programs to enhance and maintain the open space in Agoura Hills.
GRANT ADMINISTRATION
To take advantage of available resources, this department applies for and administers a number of grants, which have included the approval of grants for freeway landscaping, park-and-ride lots, housing rehabilitation and assistance of low and moderate income households.
HOUSING
The department is responsible for the planning and implementation of various affordable housing programs. As housing costs continue to rise throughout all of Southern California, municipalities tailor a variety of programs to meet the needs of their constituents in regards to housing. The City of Agoura Hills has two great housing programs which are the Single Family Rehabilitation Program and the First Time Homebuyers Program. The Single Family Rehabilitation Program provides loans to owner occupants of single family detached units, townhomes, and condominiums to make necessary home improvements. The First Time Homebuyer Program assists individuals in the purchase of a home by providing down payment assistance in the form of a deferred second mortgage loan. In addition, the department will be assisting in the affordable housing projects within the Agoura Village Development.
The City has also adopted an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance that relates to new housing developments and the need to insure that the local housing stock is available and affordable for teachers, nurses, and public safety employees within our community. An In-lieu fee option is available through the approval of the City Council. The In-lieu fee revision and current analysis and report are also available.
STAFF
Mike Kamino, Director of Planning & Community Development mkamino@ci.agoura-hills.ca.us
Doug Hooper, Assistant Planning & Community Development Director
dhooper@ci.agoura-hills.ca.us
Allison Cook, Principal Planner acook@ci.agoura-hills.ca.us
Valerie Darbouze, Associate Planner vdarbouze@ci.agoura-hills.ca.us
Renee Madrigal, Associate Planner rmadrigal@ci.agoura-hills.ca.us
Mike Gonzales, Code Compliance Officer mgonzales@ci.agoura-hills.ca.us