THOUSAND OAKS : Hearing to Address Ahmanson Ranch

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hear public comment Wednesday in Thousand Oaks about an environmental study of the proposed $1-billion Ahmanson Ranch project south of Simi Valley.

The supervisors, sitting as the Environmental Report Review Committee, have asked speakers to limit comment to how well the study addresses the environmental effects of the project.

General comments--whether supporting the project or not--should be reserved for future hearings, county officials said.

Wednesday’s hearing is to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Goebel Senior Adult Center, 1385 E. Janss Road.

The Ahmanson project would turn over more than 10,000 acres of parkland to state and federal agencies but transform part of the rolling Simi Hills ranch into an upscale community with 3,050-dwellings, a 300-room hotel, two golf courses and a town center.

The proposal has been sharply criticized by city officials in neighboring Calabasas and Los Angeles because of its probable impact on traffic and smog. But Ventura County officials, impressed by the amount of parkland to be gained, gave the project conceptual approval in December, 1991, and put it on a fast track toward a final vote.

A final environmental report, including responses to criticisms lodged this week, is expected to be returned to the environmental review committee for a vote Nov. 24.

The Board of Supervisors and the county Planning Commission will then consider the project jointly in early December, with a final vote by the supervisors tentatively set for Dec. 15, county planners said.