Conejo Creek West plan moves forward despite resident opposition

The Conejo Recreation and Park District is moving ahead with its contested plans for Conejo Creek West Park, sending the concept — including 12 proposed pickleball courts — to environmental review over the objections of many Thousand Oaks residents.

At its Oct. 15 meeting, the CRPD board of directors voted 4-1 to advance the plan, with Director Doug Nickles the lone dissenting vote. The decision followed hours of public comment from attendees who filled two packed rooms, much of it focused on opposition to the pickleball courts, the Thousand Oaks Acorn reported.

For a property that has served Thousand Oaks' equestrian community for more than half a century, the vote marks a significant step toward reshaping one of the city's most distinctive open spaces — and it comes despite sustained pushback from residents who say the changes would erode the park's character.

A parks debate more than two years in the making

Planning for Conejo Creek West Park, located next to the 23 Freeway at 1350 E. Avenida de las Flores, began more than two years ago, according to the Acorn. The district acquired the parkland in 1972, and it has long been used for horseback riding. The facility, maintained by Equestrian Trails Inc., Corral 37, currently includes one main arena and several smaller arenas and pens.

The version of the plan now headed to environmental review was first presented in May. It retains an equestrian area but adds picnic areas, a parking lot and the 12 pickleball courts. A previously proposed remote control vehicle course was removed.

District staff said the concept reflects feedback from four public meetings held in September 2024 as well as a survey that drew 2,340 responses.

One of the most notable changes since May is the location of the courts. At an earlier meeting, some residents had suggested a compromise: keep the courts but move them farther from the equestrian areas, possibly to the northern part of the park near the existing dog park. The courts were subsequently relocated — farther from western neighbors but closer to northern ones. Under the current plan, they would sit roughly 300 feet from the equestrian area and 5 to 15 feet from the proposed dog park.

"A cornerstone of what makes this community unique"

Public comment at the Oct. 15 meeting remained largely opposed to the pickleball courts, with speakers framing the issue as a question of Thousand Oaks' identity.

"Equestrian lifestyle is at the essence of T.O.'s history and culture, and its value transcends not just the recreational utility," said Phil Gatch Jr., whose father, Phil Gatch Sr., served the city for nearly four decades as its chief planner and later city manager, helping shape Thousand Oaks' development.

The younger Gatch said the equestrian lifestyle is "a cornerstone of what makes this community unique, not pickleball — but I am not against pickleball, just not at this location."

Other residents questioned whether the courts fit the setting. "It just doesn't feel right to pave over an open space garden to serve pickleball parking," Robert Sullivan said. "With the existing garden, an equestrian area, and dog park, a pickleball court doesn't seem to add to the suburban pastoral theme that the area has historically cultivated."

Supporters of including pickleball also weighed in. Prepared statements submitted by Andrew Mooney and Jim Friedl, included in the meeting's online supplemental packet, noted that "pickleball is popular and people want it" and that it received the highest number of public interest among "new and additional" recreational amenities considered for the site.

Board divided on the park's future

Nickles, the sole vote against advancing the plan, recommended rejecting the draft concept. He said pickleball did not fit the park's equestrian and pastoral character, and he raised concerns about traffic and planning. He emphasized his objection was not grounded in equestrian safety expertise but in his view that the proposed use was inappropriate for the site.

Director Chuck Huffer pushed back on suggestions from some speakers that Conejo Creek West is the only place left to ride horses in Thousand Oaks. "Yes, Conejo Creek West is a unique property... but when people say it's the only game in town, well, there are several other options," Huffer said, pointing to the Rancho Potrero Community Equestrian Center and trails in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Vice Chair Marissa Buss said the environmental review would give the board the information needed to make a final decision. "I want to... a study done, so that then everyone who sits on this dais has that information and can make an informed decision," Buss said. "I cannot operate in my businesses without actual facts and data."

What happens next

The environmental review will examine potential traffic, noise, biological and safety impacts of further developing the site, particularly the proposed pickleball courts and group picnic area. CRPD staff estimate the studies will take about six to nine months and cost roughly $30,000, which would be covered by the district's operating budget.

For Thousand Oaks residents, the timeline means the fight over Conejo Creek West is far from over. The review period will produce the data the board says it needs — and give both pickleball advocates and the equestrian community another chance to weigh in before any final decisions are made on a property that has been part of the city's horse-riding heritage since the early 1970s.