COMMUNITY PROFILE / Westlake Village

On the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the city of Westlake Village is uniquely able to maintain ties to both areas, and it has remained true to the vision of its developer, who had a dream of creating a “city in the country.” The Los Angeles County side of the community is merely five square miles and has only one offramp on the Ventura Freeway, but it is a bedroom community for families and wealthy retirees--many of whom have lived in the area from its inception. “It’s the ultimate place to live in Southern California,” said Berniece Bennett, a former city councilwoman and resident since 1968.

CURRENT ISSUES

City Hall: A new City Hall will be built, but where and when remains undecided. Four sites are under consideration, including three parcels owned by the city: 1.34 acres on Foxfield Drive, 1.45 acres on Oak Crest Drive, and 2.24 acres on the same street. Also being considered is an empty office building in a residential neighborhood on Village Center Drive. A lease on rented city offices was recently extended through 1999. Also to be decided is whether City Hall and a planned municipal library will share the same site.

Growth: The City Council recently rejected Richland Westlake Ltd.’s request to increase housing and decrease commercial building in its 130-acre Westlake North development. The developer had sought to lift the maximum number of housings units from 179 to a maximum 540, and to decrease the amount of commercial space from 1.4 million square feet to 663,000 square feet. Though tempted by promises of an 11-acre park and a sorely needed elementary school, the council rejected the plan, deciding instead to seek ways to boost commercial development in the area.

Parks: None of Westlake’s three existing parks is big enough to accommodate soccer, baseball and other sports. Officials have discussed a purchase of the only undeveloped piece of land large enough for such a sports-friendly facility, on Lindero Canyon Road.

AREA HIGHLIGHTS

Westlake Lake: This beautiful man-made lake sits at the southwest corner of the city and has more than 9 1/2 miles of shoreline. Approximately 1,300 homes dot the shore. Westlake Island sits in the middle, accessible only to the residents of its more than 300 homes. Several restaurants and shops as well as the Westlake Village Yacht Club border the lake. The club stages regular boat parades and races of vessels without motors. Only resident members of the Westlake Lake Management Assn. may sail the lake; all city residents may fish there.

Westlake Village Golf Course: Opened in 1968 as one of the first amenities for the new residents of the city’s First Neighborhood, the golf course remained relatively unchanged until recently. In 1994, the 18-hole course underwent a $3-million face lift, with expansions and reconfigurations of the public course’s clubhouse, lounge and driving range. The course is centrally located, and is primarily used by residents of Westlake Village and neighboring Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks.

HISTORY

The Chumash Indians were the first inhabitants, followed by Spanish explorers and missionaries. In 1881, the Russell brothers purchased the area for $2.50 an acre, creating the Russell Ranch. Publisher William Randolph Hearst was among the subsequent owners, but the community as it is today was born when the American Hawaiian Steamship Co. bought the land in 1963. Owner-developer Daniel K. Ludwig set out to create his dream community, a mixed commercial and residential area nestled in the middle of nowhere. In 1967, the first residents moved in to Westlake Village, and some of them can remember when the freeway was just a road running through it. The city was incorporated in 1981, when residents grew weary of county services and wanted to “take control of our own destiny,” said Bennett, chairwoman of the incorporation committee.

Sources: City of Westlake Village, Westlake Village City Councilman James Henderson and “Westlake Village Community Profile,” a publication of the Westlake Village Chamber of Commerce; researched by SYLVIA OLIANDE/Los Angeles Times.

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Community Profile

Population: 7,455

Median age: 42.2

Number of households: 2,886

Persons per household: 2.6

Owner-occupied housing units: 82%

Population below poverty level: 3.3%

Population over 18 with bachelor’s degree or higher: 43%

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Income

Average household income is more than double the citywide average.

Westlake Village: $97,604

Citywide average: $45,701

Northeast Valley: $44,444

Southeast Valley: $48,182

Northwest Valley: $56,427

Southwest Valley: $61,722

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Ethnicity

White: 90%

Asian: 6%

Latino: 4%

African American: 0.2%

Other: 0.1%