Tonight, October 10, 2016, the City of Thousand Oaks held a hearing on the Sapwi Trails Community Park master plan and environmental documents.

The hearing took nearly 2 1/2 hours, with fifteen people commenting on the project. There was a report by the City Planner summarizing the plan, as well as supporting testimony from Tom Hare, director of the Conejo Rec and Parks District (CRPD). Commissioners were given the opportunity to tour the site over the past few days.

Several commenters were there in support of the non-motorized model aircraft area. Thousand Oaks High School cross country club spoke in support of the trails. Newbury Park High School mountain bike coach Dorothy Sullivan, and Steve from CORBA spoke in support of the plan.

Steve Messer speaks before the commission

Only two local residents expressed opposition to the plan citing a “loss of nature” as a concern, even though of the 142 acre park, only about 17 acres will be developed, and the habitat along Lang Creek will be restored. A few locals expressed support for the plan, but wanted assurance that their concerns about parking. safety and privacy were addressed.

Next steps will be a planning process for the bike skills park. The master plan only identifies the approximate location of the bike park, and is not a bike park design. The bike park will be planned through a series of public meetings sometime in mid-2017.

One of the Commissioners noted that she felt the City had enough traditional parks to accommodate more mainstream stick and ball sports, and welcomed this plan incorporating several alternative recreation opportunities including mountain biking, cross country running, model glider flying, and frisbee golf. The Plan can be found here, and CORBA’s testimony can be found here.

We commend the CRPD for their extensive outreach to the community, for listening to us, and for producing this forward-thinking plan. We look forward to actively engaging in the continued planning and construction of the Sapwi Trails bike park.