Follow what the local media has to say about the Hitch Ranch Project

Ventura County Star - 6/19/22

Moorpark’s large residential Hitch Ranch project approved by City Council

Mike Harris

Ventura County Star

The Moorpark City Council Wednesday night unanimously approved the 755-unit residential Hitch Ranch development, which will provide the city with more much-needed housing.

The council greenlit the 277-acre project in northwest Moorpark three weeks after the city Planning Commission recommended it do so.

Mayor Janice Parvin said Friday the development’s biggest plus is its variety of housing, including single-family homes for sale and apartments for rent.

“It will provide housing for all economic and age ranges,” she said.

“So, no matter what age you are or where you are in your life — your kids have grown up and you want to downsize — technically, you could start your life there and end your life there,” she said.

Like many other cities throughout the state, including those in Ventura County, Moorpark has a housing shortage. High housing costs are the major reason California has one of the lowest home ownership rates in the nation.

Discussions to develop the Hitch Ranch site date to the 1990s but a project never came to fruition. The largely undeveloped land is located north of Poindexter Avenue, extending about 1,700 feet to the west of Gabbert Road.

Developer Comstock Homes now plans to build 372 single-family homes and 383 multi-family apartments there. The homes would be one and two stories; the apartments will be two and three stories.

About 113 of the rental units would be affordable, said Doug Spondello, Moorpark’s deputy community development director.

The project would also include two parks, open space, equestrian trails and a parcel dedicated to the city for the future development of more affordable housing.

“Hitch Ranch will create a sustainable community that will provide homes for generations to come,” Deborah Geiler, Comstock’s vice president of entitlements and forward planning, told the council.

Parvin said the development will also support Moorpark’s economy by providing more customers for businesses. In addition, it will add students to the city’s schools, which have seen declining enrollment, she said.

“I like this project,” Councilman Chris Enegren said Wednesday night. “It’s got a lot of good houses. I would totally live there if I didn’t live where I was.”

Without a hitch: Moorpark Planning Commission recommends approval of large Hitch Ranch project

Numerous speakers addressed the council during public comments, voicing either support or opposition to the project.

Moorpark resident Megan Rayzor urged the council to approve the development.

“The only way we are going to ease this housing crisis is to increase the supply of homes available,” she said.

Rayzor said she and her husband have been been looking to buy a home in Moorpark but can’t afford what is available. That should change with the Hitch Ranch project, she said.

“Hitch Ranch is well thought out and truly addresses many of this community’s needs,” she said. “There are residences in a variety of price brackets, something most other housing projects have not included.”

Parvin said the development’s exact housing prices haven’t yet been determined.

Another Moorpark resident, Amy Greer, opposes the project, saying, like many other speakers, that she wants the city to keep its “small town feel.”

Moorpark is the smallest city in east county with a population of about 36,000.

“I grew up in the ’80s, so you can imagine the growth I’ve seen here over the years,” Greer said. “Despite its growth, Moorpark still feels more like a small town in comparison to our surrounding cities.

“We love the open spaces,” she continued. “We love the wildlife we see in this open space. Please reconsider approving this project.”

The Hitch Ranch development was approved last week by the Moorpark City Council. A fence shown here lies within the vast property.

Other speakers expressed additional concerns about the project, including its impacts on fire evacuations, water usage and traffic on Gabbert Road.

Spondello noted, however, that the project’s draft Environmental Impact Report found that impacts related to vehicle miles there would be less than significant.

The report also found, however, that the development would have significant, unavoidable impacts on air quality and aesthetics.

In a statement Friday, Geiler thanked the council for approving the project.

“Our team has worked diligently to bring forward an exceptional project that the community of Moorpark will be proud of,” she said. “We look forward to making this project a reality.”

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.

Ventura County Star - 6/9/22

Editorial: Can New Housing Prevail in Moorpark?

The city of Moorpark may be about to demonstrate to all in Ventura County that it is still possible to do the unexpected: approve a large-scale housing development, and to do so without strong community opposition.

The 277-acre, 755-housing-unit Hitch Ranch development has been long planned, having been designated as a site for development since 1992. Ideas have been floated about for years, but none has advanced nearly as far as this, with the Planning Commission unanimously recommending last month that the City Council give the project a green light.

More from Moorpark:Planning Commission recommends approval of Hitch Ranch

The planning process can be long and arduous, but this one appears to have reached a result that may achieve something close to community consensus.

It includes a range of housing, including 520 single-family homes and 235 apartments, 113 of which will be designated as affordable housing earmarked for low-income households. It will feature a seven-acre park adjacent to High Street that will have an amphitheater with a large lawn for community events. It calls for a five-mile network of trails that will connect with existing offsite trails. The circulation plan is designed to prevent traffic from flowing to just one or two intersections. It sets aside 29 acres for open space.

The council will soon decide whether in fact this proposal checks all the boxes to become a significant new fixture in the community.

Project impacts:Here’s what a study says of the planned 755-home community at Hitch Ranch in Moorpark

That the Hitch Ranch proposal has advanced to this point suggests that housing has become an issue of such urgent importance in this county that there are circumstances under which a project can avoid, or at least muffle the not-in-my-backyard opposition that has thwarted so many proposals in recent decades.

Moorpark Acorn - 3/12/22

Public Can Review Hitch Ranch Report

By Makenna Huey – Moorpark Acorn

The City of Moorpark wants residents’ feedback on the recently released draft environmental impact report for Hitch Ranch, a proposed 755-home development north of Poindexter Avenue and west of Casey Road.

“It’s a two-way conversation with the community,” Doug Spondello, deputy community development director, said of the recently released report. “We want to show them what we did, and we want to make sure we got it right.”

The 277-acre property would include 261 single-family units, 494 multifamily units, a public park, open space and trails. Since the project was first introduced to the city in 1993, it has hit roadblocks, including public opposition and the recession. An initial environmental study determined that the project could potentially have a significant effect on the environment, leading to the need for an environmental impact report. Concerns included compatibility with surrounding land uses, traffic, effects on biological re- sources, effects on water quality, aesthetic changes and exposure to radon, according to the draft.

Though the 830-page document may seem daunting to the layperson, Spondello said most people focus on one or two topics of concern. The report is offered on the city’s website in its entirety and is also available in stand-alone sections. The report, on the largest pending housing development, is intended to inform not only the public but also city officials as they decide whether to approve the proposed project.

“(The California Environmental Quality Act) is not really about fixing or mitigating all the impacts,” Spondello said. “It’s really about public disclosure so the public and decision-makers can have an informed discussion about the impacts of the project.”

The draft considers the project’s potential impact on 18 categories, ranging from greenhouse gas emissions to tribal cultural resources. All possible effects of the project are expected to be “less than significant” after mitigation measures are complete except in two categories. Impacts on aesthetics and air quality are “significant and unavoidable” after mitigation, the report states. Spondello said he was pleased with the findings of the draft environmental impact report; the Hitch Ranch project has fewer impacts than many of the other projects he has worked on.

“We work very hard with developers to ensure that our community’s resources are protected and development will not have a negative impact,” Spondello said. “For a project of this size, the level of impacts that are not able to be mitigated was very low.”

In the past, residents have expressed concerns with the project’s impact on fire safety, according to previous Acorn coverage. Spondello, however, said Hitch Ranch will result in more evacuation exits. The draft is available for public review and comment at City Hall, Moorpark City Library and the city’s website until April 4. Spondello said the executive summary section is especially helpful, and the city will respond to each comment as part of the final report.

The planning commission will consider the draft at 7 p.m. Mon., March 14 during the in-person meeting in the City Hall’s Apricot Room. The meeting will be available virtually at moorparkca.gov/PlanningCommissionMeetings. Following the planning commission’s meeting, the City Council will vote whether to approve the proposed project.

“Ultimately, the decision is going to be based on the community: the trade-off of the project and what that will do to the community versus any potential impacts,” Spondello said. “That’s really what we’re empowering the council with.”

To review the report, go to moorparkca.gov/HitchRanch. To comment, email dspondello@ moorparkca.gov.

Ventura County Star - 3/7/22

Here’s What a Study Says of the Planned 755-Home Community at Hitch Ranch in Moorpark

Mike Harris – Ventura County Star

An environmental study has found that a planned 755-unit residential development in Moorpark would
have significant, unavoidable impacts on air quality and aesthetics. The 277-acre Hitch Ranch project would have many other environmental impacts as well, but they could be mitigated to less-than-significant levels, the 125-page draft Environmental Impact Report,
released by the city Tuesday, concludes. It’s not known to what degree, if any, the unavoidable impacts would have on the City Council’s
ultimate decision to approve or deny the development. The California Environmental Quality Act doesn’t mandate the denial of a project simply because an
impact or impacts would be significant, Doug Spondello, Moorpark’s deputy community development director, said Friday.

“The City Council has the sole authority to make their decision based on any number of things,
including the final Environmental Impact Report,” he said. “The council’s decision to approve the
project or not in light of these impacts is strictly up to them.”

Site development long considered

Discussions to develop the Hitch Ranch site in northwest Moorpark date to the 1990s but a project never came to fruition. The largely undeveloped site is located north of Poindexter Avenue, extending about 1,700 feet to the west of Gabbert Road. Big plans: Moorpark officials discuss first draft of plans for 755-unit Hitch Ranch development. Now, developer Comstock Homes has filed plans with the city to build 755 residential units there.
They include 456 single-family homes, 236 multi-family rental apartments and 63 multi- family for-sale triplex and duplex homes. Single-family homes would be one and two stories, and apartments would be two and three stories. The development would also include a public park, open space, equestrian trails, and a 6.6-acre parcel dedicated to the city for the future development of affordable housing.

The environmental report found that most of the project’s impacts on the site could be mitigated to
non-significant levels, Spondello said. They include impacts on such things as biological resources, hazardous materials, noise, tribal
cultural resources and wildfire hazards.

“This is a very high wildfire severity zone,” he said. “But the project includes special
construction methods and landscaping that mitigate that to a level that is less
than significant.”

The study found the project would have significant, unavoidable impacts on air quality and
aesthetics even with mitigation. The air quality impacts would stem from the usual things associated with housing such as emissions
from air conditioners and appliances, Spondello said. “That would be at a level that is significant versus what it is currently on the site,” he said.

The report states that “feasible mitigation measures are not available to reduce these operational
air source emissions. As a result, operational air quality impacts would be significant and
unavoidable.” Spondello said the aesthetics of the site would be significantly altered due to the addition of
homes and streets. The report says that “impacts to the existing scenic vista of the undeveloped site would remain
significant and unavoidable.” Harriet Rapista, senior project manager for El Segundo-based Comstock, did not respond to a request
for comment Friday.

What’s next?

The draft environmental impact report is available to the public at Moorpark City Hall, 799 Moorpark Ave., the Moorpark City Library, 699 Moorpark Ave., and online at moorparkca.gov/HitchRanch
The public has until 5 p.m. April 4 to review and comment on it, including at a March 14 Moorpark Planning Commission meeting. The 7 p.m. meeting will be held in person in the Apricot Room at City Hall, and online at moorparkca.gov/PlanningCommissionMeetings.
The public can also email comments to Spondello at Dspondello@moorparkca.gov. Following the comment period, the city will respond to them in the final environmental impact report.
Another Planning Commission hearing will then be scheduled at which the commission will weigh the project and make a recommendation to the City Council. At yet another meeting, the council will either green-light the development or deny it.

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.

The Real Deal - 2/28/22

750-Unit Ventura County Resi Plan Moves Into Environmental Approvals Process

By Trevor Bach – The Real Deal, Los Angeles Real Estate News

A major Ventura County housing project could soon take a step forward after beginning the environmental approvals process.

The City of Moorpark, where the development would be located, published its Draft Environmental Impact Report on the project, known as Hitch Ranch, on February 18. A planning commission meeting over the proposed development is scheduled for next month, and the city is also accepting public comments. The Hitch Ranch plan, from El Segundo-based developer Comstock Homes, includes more than 750 housing units on 277 acres. Moorpark’s 830-page draft impact report found numerous potential impacts, although it also recommended mitigation measures to counteract those effects. Doug Spondello, the project planner for the city, did not immediately respond to an interview request. He has previously emphasized the large size of the site and thorough planning needed for approvals.

“You can imagine, with everything they want to do and develop on the site, we’re going to need a lot of plans, a lot of details and a lot of reports,” he told the Ventura County Star in 2019.

In Southern California, properties of Hitch Ranch’s size are increasingly rare, and often located farther inland, in exurban areas of Ventura County or the Inland Empire. The realization of such major projects is also complicated, especially as local authorities have grown increasingly concerned about environmental impacts and affordable housing concerns: In northern L.A. County, one 6,700-acre project, Centennial at Tejon Ranch, recently scored a victory when an environmental group agreed to drop its opposition after the developers committed to a net-zero carbon emissions plan. Among the major impacts projected in the Hitch Ranch environmental report was a “substantial adverse effect” on the landscape — the development would go up on currently undeveloped rolling hills. To counteract the destruction, the report recommends hydro-mulching and planting fast-growing grasses, although it found that even with those measures the development’s impact would be significant. The report also found potentially significant consequences related to light pollution, air quality and wildlife destruction, among many others, although in most cases it determined those impacts would not be significant after mitigation measures. Before any construction begins it calls for the approved relocation of “all western spadefoot, coastal western whiptail, coast horned lizard, and coast patch-nose snake” observed on the site by a biologist, for example.

The development is slated to rise on what is currently a rural area of Moorpark, a city of some 36,000 that’s a few miles west of Simi Valley and approximately 50 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. The ranch’s owners had been seeking to develop the site for 20 years, Spondello previously said.

Comstock Homes filed its initial plans with the city in 2019: In addition to 456 single family homes and 299 multi-family units, Comstock envisions a three-acre “green space, clubhouse and swimming facility” and over five acres of trails and parks on the site; it also promises various infrastructure improvements to the area, including street extensions, electric vehicle charging stations and equestrian trials. In order to comply with local affordable housing requirements, Comstock has also proposed setting aside a nearly 7-acre parcel for future affordable development by the city. In promotional materials the developer, which has built commercial and residential properties throughout California, leans heavily on the ranch’s scenic beauty and agricultural heritage: Archibald Hitch, the property’s namesake, and his family migrated from Tennessee in the early 1900s and farmed apricots and lemons on the site, according to the material. Renderings show neat clusters of houses surrounded by trees, as well as a children’s play area and bocce court.

Not everyone is happy about the proposed “Hitch Ranch 2.0,” however, including some Moorpark residents who don’t want to see undeveloped land turn into hundreds of housing units.

“This is high-density housing as far as I’m concerned,” one neighbor, who owns horses on her property, told the Star in 2019. “So you’re going from livestock friendly to high density.”