THOUSAND OAKS : Judge Gives Green Light to Dos Vientos

Developers of the Dos Vientos housing project can begin grading as soon as they receive permits from the county and the city of Thousand Oaks, a judge has ruled.

Saying that the project is not in a sensitive wildlife area and that delaying grading would hurt the builders financially, Superior Court Judge Barbara A. Lane on Tuesday denied the Sierra Club’s request for a stay in the permitting process.

The Sierra Club had asked the judge to delay permitting until the club files an appeal of a May 16 ruling. In that decision, Lane ruled that the city of Thousand Oaks had acted legally by approving a 220-home phase of the project, which is planned for land adjacent to National Park Service property and Broome Ranch.

The Sierra Club had argued that the project would bring excessive noise and traffic to surrounding areas and endanger a wildlife corridor. On Tuesday, Lane urged the Sierra Club to take up the issue with an appellate court if it still opposed the building. She sided with lawyers for the builder--a firm called Operating Engineers--who said that a stay order could cost them as much as $5 million if they had to wait until after next year’s rainy season to begin grading.

After Tuesday’s decision, Sierra Club lawyer Frank Angel said that an appeal was imminent and he would ask the appellate court judge for a stay. The environmental group has until Aug. 8 to act. Operating Engineers said they would begin grading within a month.