TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Kelvin Parker, Community Development Director
DATE:August 26, 2025
SUBJECT: Zoning Code Update (MCA-2025-70001/Z 2025-70001) RECOMMENDATION:
1. Receive update on the Comprehensive Zoning Code Update, Sign Code Update, and Rezoning Program.
2. Receive Assessment and Recommendations Memo prepared by Lisa Wise Consulting.
3. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15387(b)(5) (CCR, Title 14, Chapter 3, Article 20).
LEVINE ACT ITEM: No
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Minimal staff time and costs required to prepare this report are included in the Adopted FY 2025-26 General Fund Budget. $842,540 was included in the Adopted FY 2024-25 General Fund Budget for Lisa Wise Consulting, Inc., (LWC) and the Comprehensive Code Update Project.
BACKGROUND:
The City’s Zoning Code, Chapter 4 of Title 9 (Planning and Zoning) of the Thousand Oaks Municipal Code, was adopted in 1970 and has never been comprehensively updated. Although the Code has been amended over the years to comply with State laws, revise standards, and clarify language, a full update is necessary. This effort will ensure the Zoning Code reflects the current best practices and industry standards, while aligning the goals and policies of the recently adopted General Plan. Additionally, General Plan implementation action item LU-A.1 specifically calls for a comprehensive Zoning Code update following the General Plan’s adoption.
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On November 19, 2024, City Council approved a professional services agreement with Lisa Wise Consulting, Inc., (LWC) for the preparation of the Zoning Code Update, Rezoning Program, and Sign Code Update.
LWC has focused on comprehensive development code updates and audits since 2008 and has completed over 80 development code updates. The LWC team includes Dudek for the preparation of associated environmental documents under CEQA.
At the August 25, 2025, Planning Commission meeting, City staff presented an update on the comprehensive code update, sign code update, and rezoning program, and presented the findings and recommendations from initial technical assessments.
Project Components
The Comprehensive Zoning Code Update includes three major components: 1) an update to Chapter 4 (Zoning) of Title 9 (Planning and Zoning) of the Thousand Oaks Municipal Code, which regulates how property is used and developed in the City; 2) an update to the Sign Code (Article 23); and 3) completion of the Rezoning Program, including an updated Zoning Map. In 2024, City Council adopted initial zoning map amendments to align new Mixed-Use parcels with their General Plan land use designations. As part of this project, all remaining parcels citywide will be reviewed and rezoned as needed to ensure consistency with the General Plan.
Project Phases
The Zoning Code update includes five phases:
1) initiation
2) technical analysis and recommendations
3) code drafting
4) refinement
5) adoption
The project began on December 16, 2024, with a kickoff meeting followed by an extensive analysis of current data and existing regulations. As part of the technical analysis and recommendations phase, LWC prepared an Assessment and Recommendations Memo (Memo) (Attachment #1) to evaluate the existing Zoning Code and identify key areas for improvement. Following this meeting, LWC will use the Memo to prepare a draft Zoning Code, Sign Code, and Zoning Map. The fourth phase will focus on refinement based on public feedback, Planning Commission review, and direction from City Council. The final phase will include public hearings and adoption of the new Zoning Code. Community engagement opportunities are built into phases to ensure a transparent and inclusive process.
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Community Outreach and Engagement
The City is committed to engaging the public throughout the Zoning Code update process. A dedicated webpage, toaks.gov/zoningcode, was developed for the Zoning Code update, providing updates and opportunities for input, the project timeline, meeting summaries, and deliverables released during the process. To support ongoing communication, the City has established a subscriber list to distribute email blasts, which currently includes approximately 1,751 individuals, and created a dedicated email address, [email protected], for direct public inquiries to the City’s project team. A press release announcing the launch of the Zoning Code update was issued on March 11, 2025. Public meetings have been promoted through multiple channels, including ¼-page color advertisements in the Thousand Oaks Acorn, Instagram posts, the City’s CityScene and Economic Development newsletters.
Two in-person focus groups related to the Sign Code were held on February 24, 2025. The discussions were held to gather insights related to the effectiveness and clarity of the current sign regulations and provide technical input early in the process to help staff and LWC identify practical challenges and opportunities.
Two in-person community workshops were held to gather input on the Zoning Code update. The first workshop, held on March 19, 2025, was attended by approximately 30 participants. The workshop provided an overview of the project and engagement opportunities. Participants organized into small groups to discuss their experiences with the current Zoning Code and shared input on local zoning issues, preferred mixed-use development characteristics, and zoning concerns.
Key takeaways from the workshop are summarized below:
•Housing – expand housing stock, diversity types, facilitate more affordability, address neighborhood character
•Development and design – neighborhood compatible design, height and transitions are important
•Parking & Mobility – mixed opinion on parking requirements ranging from too restrictive to insufficient, strong support for biking/walking infrastructure •Mixed-Use Development – support for well-designed projects with engaging ground-floor uses, concerns about compatibility of uses, adequate parking, and overall building scale
•Character & Open Space – strong desire to preserve T.O.’s scenic character, views, and open spaces
•Administration & Process – support for streamlining (with oversight); desire for clearer definitions and consistent application of standards •Special Uses – Support local businesses, dining, and arts, regulate uses like drive-throughs
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The second workshop, held on May 28, 2025, had approximately 16 participants and focused on presenting key findings from the Memo. Participants were asked to provide input on Zoning Code deficiencies, opportunities for improvement, and prioritize their concerns through small group discussions on a variety of topics. Key takeaways from this workshop are summarized below:
•General Plan Implementation – should be flexible for ever-changing land uses and development trends, address transitions between buildings and uses, and neighborhood compatibility
•Zoning Code Ease of Use – include graphics and tables when appropriate, avoid jargon, and provide clear definitions
•Zones and Development Standards – encourage and preserve certain development types, address setbacks and transitions between uses and neighborhoods, address impact of lighting and noise on near-by uses, and prohibit neon lighting
•Land Uses, Specific-to-Use, and Objective Standards – provide flexibility for land uses and other standards, setbacks and height should consider pedestrian scale and adjacent uses, have operational standards for drive-throughs
•Administration, Procedures, and Legal Considerations – concern over enforcement of the Zoning Code and signs, clarify what permits are required for every project type, and review authorities
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Technical Assessment Overview
The Memo presents a high-level technical review of the City’s current Zoning Code and related policy documents. It is based on a comprehensive analysis of the existing code, relevant policy resolutions, the recently adopted General Plan, input from City staff, and best practices from LWC’s experience updating zoning codes nationwide. The Memo identifies inconsistencies with the General Plan and State Law, highlights issues and opportunities for improvement, and provides initial recommendations to inform the development of the Administrative Draft Zoning Code, Sign Code, and Zoning Map. It covers the following topics:
•General Plan Policy Review: Describes inconsistencies between the Zoning Code and General Plan.
•General Zoning Analysis: Analyzes the Zoning Code and documents recommendations with respect to Zoning Code Organization and Structure, Land Use and Development Standards, and Administration and Procedure. •Legal Consistency Analysis: Examines the Zoning Code alignment with State and Federal laws.
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•Specific Plan Evaluation: Describes the City’s existing Specific Plans and documents the findings and recommendations for integration of select Specific Plan regulations into the Zoning Code.
•Objective Design Standards Review: Documents existing regulations, design guidelines, and policies for multi-family residential and mixed-use development, along with recommendations to improve objective standards. •Sign Code Analysis: Examines the City’s existing sign regulations, including an analysis of legal compliance issues and sign regulations.
The Memo contains detailed findings and recommendations; the following is a brief overview of the recommendations:
1. Modify and Create New Zones.
Create new zones to implement medium-density Residential designations and the Industrial Flex designation. Reorganize and consolidate Commercial Zones based on scale (e.g., height/intensity) rather than use, and consolidate Industrial Zones (M-1 and M-2) while aligning height standards with the General Plan.
2. Zoning Code Organization, Structure, and Usability.
To improve usability, the Zoning Code should be reorganized by grouping related Articles into Divisions and consolidating all applicable regulations, such as permitted uses and development standards for each zone into single self-contained sections. Citywide standards like parking and landscaping should be clearly cross-referenced, and legibility should be enhanced through consistent formatting, the use of tables, and visual aids to better support both staff and the public in navigating and understanding the Zoning Code.
3. Improvements to Objective Design Standards.
The updated Zoning Code should consolidate and simplify design standards by making the Object Design Standards article the central location for citywide building design requirements, while retaining only district-specific standards in relevant Articles. Useful standards from recent Specific Plans and current guidelines, such as the Precise Plan of Design (PPD) and Architectural Guidelines, should be integrated into the revised article, with outdated or subjective content removed. The revised standards must be objective, align with existing development patterns, reflect community input, and be clearly illustrated for ease of understanding. New terms introduced should also be defined in the Zoning Code’s Definitions section to ensure clarity.
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4. Modernize Land Use Table and Use-Specific Standards.
The updated Zoning Code should reorganize and simplify the land use framework by consolidating over 230 specific uses into broader, clearly defined categories and presenting use allowances in a user-friendly format.
It should streamline approval processes through a tiered review approach based on project impact and expand housing opportunities by enabling a greater variety of housing types and revising standards for residential service uses. Use-specific regulations should be modernized and applied consistently across zones, while updated site design standards should promote safety, aesthetics, and functionality through clear, objective guidance. Additionally, uncodified regulations should be integrated or clearly referenced within the Zoning Code to improve accessibility and reduce reliance on separate documents.
5. Implement Best Practices in Administration & Procedures.
The updated Zoning Code should reorganize and consolidate all administrative provisions, planning permits, and related procedures into a single division or article to improve clarity and usability. This structure should clearly define the applicability of each permit, the review authority, required findings, and the process to be followed, presented in a consistent format. Procedures should align with industry best practices, maintaining appropriate ministerial (non-discretionary) review procedures, while establishing clear processes for enforcement and revocation. These updates will streamline approvals, enhance predictability, and ensure fair, transparent decision-making.
6. Sign Regulations.
The Sign Code should be modernized and simplified to create a clear, user- friendly, and legally sound framework that reflects the needs of Thousand Oaks. Recommended improvements include clarifying the Sign Code’s purpose and applicability, incorporating objective and content-neutral standards for all sign types, and organizing regulations with clearly illustrated graphics and tables. Updates should also include consistent definitions, cross-references to related regulations, and integrated standards from relevant City resolutions to eliminate conflicts and improve usability across zoning districts.
Environmental Review
LWC’s subconsultant, Dudek, will prepare a consistency evaluation pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162. This analysis will review whether the implementation of this project’s actions would or would not result in new significant direct, indirect, or cumulative impacts over and above those disclosed in the previously certified City of Thousand Oaks General Plan Update EIR. There is no Zoning Code Update (MCA-2025-70001/ZC 2025-70001)
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actual development proposed as part of the Zoning Code update. The project would only consider the potential changes and updates to the Zoning Code.
Next Steps
LWC will prepare a Table of Contents with an improved structure and organization of the Zoning Code and begin preparing the draft amendments to the Zoning Code, Zoning Map, and Sign Code. The first draft Zoning Code, Zoning Map, and Sign Code will be released for public review near the end of the year. Following its release, additional Community Workshops, along with study sessions with the Planning Commission and City Council will be held to solicit input on the first draft of the Zoning Code, Zoning Map, and Sign Code.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goal:
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
PREPARED BY: Krystin Rice, Planning Division Manager
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – Assessment and Recommendations Memo
cdd:660-21/kr/H:COMMON/City Council/CC Agenda Items/2025/08262025/Zoning Code Update/Staff Report.docx/pz [FILE ID: MCA 2025-70001]