Posts Tagged ‘North Ranch’
This Sunday, January 29, the Hyatt Westlake Plaza will host a travel show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sponsored by Michael’s Travel Centre, the show is offering free admission and door prizes. Some 40 travel suppliers – cruise lines and major tour operators throughout the world – will be on hand, offering discounts and specials for those in attendance. Come one, come all, to begin your 2012 travel adventure. “Anchors aweigh!”
This news comes from my friend, Susan Raffler, at Michael’s Travel Centre.
Listed at $5000/month. To shee this home, contact me at 805.906.1001.
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4438 Guildhall Ct. – New Listing in First Neighborhood Open 2 – 5, Sunday, 7/17!
Stylish pool home with to-die-for kitchen: Zambian Blue King slab granite counter tops, Thermador
cooktop and oven plus a second oven, built-in frig, huge center island with eating area, SieMatic cabinets with pull-outs, garden window too. The addjoining family room has a wall of built-in cabinets. Both the kitchen and family room have warm wood flooring. Originally a 4-bedroom, this home now offers a super-master with a sitting area and a walk-in closet, plus a large master bath with spa tub. The two secondary bedrooms are spacious and airy. Ceiling fans, two skylights, smooth ceilings, newer heating and AC units, and a security system too are among tis home’s other upgrades. A very private backyard sports a pool with diving board, while the front entry features a gated garden courtyard. Situated on a cul-de-sac street, this charming home offers the opportunity to get to the top-rated elementary school, greenbelt, community center and community park without any streets to cross. Move-in ready just in time for school in the highly ranked Las Virgenes District. Photos and YouTube video coming Monday.
Listed at $698,000, one of the handful of homes in Westlake Village listed under $700,000.
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811 Sunstone St. – Charnming North Ranch Town Home, Open 2 – 5, Sunday, 7/17!
Charming Braemar North Ranch C plan, with 2 bedrooms, 2½ baths, plus a downstairs den that could be made into a third bedroom. French doors in the living room lead to a large yard, covered patio, lush landscaping, and even a private spa. This light and bright home boasts a laundry room with built-ins, ample closets, and built-in storage in the garage. Located close to shopping, hiking trails and park with tennis courts and playfields.
Listed at $499,900 – lowest price in Braemar Town Homes.
Listed at $1,495,000 by Dana Olmes, Ewing & Associates Sotheby’s International Realty.
In 1975, the North Ranch area was being planned and developed. However, there was a caveat. A fire station was required in order to safely service the North Ranch Community. Although the agreed upon location eventually became a park, North Ranch was erected.
At the time, the City of Thousand Oaks wanted to save the Wildwood Mesa on the west end of Avenida de los Arboles as open space, so the city reached an agreement with the owners of Wildwood Mesa. Wildwood mesa agreed to allow homes to be built in the North Ranch area. As part of the agreement, Conejo Recreation and Park District would agree with the city and Mesa owners only if they could have the original fire station site to add to their park site. Therefore, a second fire station site was agreed upon, which is the northeast corner of Kanan Road and Upper Ranch Road. This is the site of today’s fire station: Fire Station 37.
Many residents of North Ranch and throughout the Conjeo Valley live in a Wildland Urban Interface, that is, bordering a natural area. Many others live within a mile of a natural area – the Ember Zone – and are at risk of embers blown from a wildfiare. It’s comforting to know that in North Ranch we have a great fire station ready to service our area if we need help. And by the way, this stations doubles as a polling center on Election Days.
Information retrieved from: North Ranch Living, October 2010.
CAbi. It’s a noun, it’s a verb. It’s even an adjective. Carol Anderson by Invitation. For the unitiated, Carol Anderson has been designing women’s clothing for three decades. She first displayed in Nordstrom, and then other retailers as well. She is well known for her reversible skirt.
In 2001 she reinvented herself, going directly to her customers. Now CAbi is sold only through in-home parties. It’s a marketer’s conundrum: Women who shop for sale merchandise all the time will go to a friend’s house for a CAbi party, have a glass of wine, try on clothes in front of each other, and pay full price. In this stubborn recession, CAbi enjoyed its best August in its history.
I have CAbi-ed for seven years at my friend Betsy’s home in North Ranch – twice a year, rarely missing a show. Last night Betsy’s CAbi rep, Debi Rote, unveiled the new fall collection. The theme this season is New York: Soho, Chesea, Madison Avenue – you get the idea – and the color is black. As the rep said, black is the new black. There were black stretch pants, black skirts, black sweaters, black dresses, black tubes, black jeans – with interesting colors such as spruce, blueberry and hot tamale sprinkled throughout. (Carol’s colors are never simply green, blue and red; even black is not black; it’s licorice.). You can see the collection online, but you can’t buy it there, and in truth the online presentation doesn’t do it justice. In fact, it’s not supposed to: You have to go to a party and get inspired, get undressed and get your wallet out. In short, you have to CAbi.
Prices aren’t cheap, but they are easy to justify. The fabrics are soft and non-wrinkly. The styling is detailed and glides sinuously over all types of bulges and bumps. And for those who really do their homework, CAbi leggings, for example, are at least $40 cheaper than a recent number at Nordstrom, and Carol’s Paris jacket a bargain compared with a dashing Nanette Lepore at the same store.
So 13 women, some plump, some skinny, some tall, some short, some 20-something, some “we shall not whisper their age,” some friends, some strangers – CAbi-ed last night. It was great fun, and I know those black leggings and that Chanel-like jacket will look smashing. And think of all the money I saved!
Little Hudson stepped out into his yard early in the morning, as he usually did, at his home in North Ranch. And, as usual, his owner watched him more closely than he watched the three big dogs who lived there alongside Hudson, who is, after all, only 15 pounds of much-loved white fluff. Suddenly a great shadow loomed over Hudson: a red-tailed hawk, commanding a wingspan of three feet, swooped down to seize its breakfast. Only the dog’s owner’s quick hands saved him from a terrifying flight.
It seems the hawk, along with Hudson and other family pets, now resides in the vicinity of Fairway Ct. and Golf Course Dr., in North Ranch – a reminder that we all live within a few feet of wildness.
The second specialty market brand developed by the Henry Boney family, who sold their Henry’s Farmers Markets in 1999, Sprouts has sprouted onto the scene as an alternative food store of healthy, organic, local, fair-trade options (did I miss any buzz words?). Located at the site of the old Circuit City, in Thousand Oaks near The Oaks Mall, Sprouts is definitely a destination store – and it’s worth the trip. There are gluten free products, local produce at, believe it or not, local prices, fresh (really fresh) meats and fish. Oh, yes, there’s a selection of low-carb food too, as well as “bin” coffee and grains.
Prices are surprisingly modest. Some would say (although lately the charge is not entirely fair) that Sprouts is Whole Foods without the whole paycheck.
Take a check, check it out, and enjoy a fresh Sprouts meal tonight.
To be sure, the Conejo Valley has its share of excellent French and Italian cuisine. But now, as the anemic economy nibbles into the everyday budget, comes some lighter fare with European flair: Europa.
Located in the North Ranch Shopping Center, in Westlake Village, Europa is owned by Jorge Gruener, a professional chef and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, NY. “Good coffee is my passion,” he explains. “I wanted a European-style coffee house where you could get a great cup of coffee with light, healthy food.”
Indeed, the coffee and teas (all loose leaf) are organic and certified fair trade. Gruener orders the coffee on one day, and the next morning it is roasted and delivered in the afternoon. Each cup of espresso is made with a Rancilio espresso machine – Italian and the best in the world, Gruener says – and served in a biodegradable cup. The panini is made on the premises with La Brea bread, and the pastries come from a boutique bakery.
Outdoor seating and soon-to-come wireless Internet service complete the café. Europa is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and perhaps later on weekends.
Europa Cafe, 3945 E. Thousand Oaks B.vd, Suite A, Westlake Village 805.494.1089
Europa, in the North Ranch Shopping Center
Earlier this month the 462 property owners within the North Ranch Property Owners’ Association received a packet via mail containing the proposed new CC&Rs and By-Laws. Within the week another smaller package arrived in the mailbox via hand delivery, this one asking for a vote to disapprove the proposed CC&Rs and By-Laws.
The letter accompanying the first package explained that the current CC&Rs, being more than 30 years old, predate California state statutes governing all homeowner associations. New documents, the letter explained, are needed for the association to comply with state law. Furthermore, the current documents are sometimes ambiguous and not “user-friendly,” the cover letter stated.
The bone of contention prompting the second letter focuses on the storage of recreational vehicles. The proposed new documents would allow for such storage provided RVs are not visible. The 14 property owners who issued the vote-to-disapprove letter argue that commercial storage is available for recreational vehicles and therefore no RVs should be allowed within the neighborhood.
Another issued posed by the concerned 14, which includes two current Board members, is the power Board members would gain in the new documents to create new rules without a vote of the property owners. In addition, the proposed By-Laws state there shall be one vote per lot, and that for election of Board members, owners may cast one vote for each open position but may not cumulate their votes for any one candidate.
In a letter to all property owners dated March 16, 2010, attorney Glen Kulik, whose law firm participated heavily in the development of the new documents, issued a rebuttal. In a nutshell, he indicated homeowners can disapprove just the items they dislike without disapproving the entire document, that banning RVs would be held illegal if challenged, and that other concerns would violate California Civil Code.
While this may be turgid stuff, if you are a North Ranch property owner, be sure to review the proposed package and subsequent letters, and then cast your vote – yeah or nay, no later than May 1.
If you are hoping for the CliffsNotes on the significant changes, you won’t find them. There are too many changes to itemize them, according to North Ranch Center staff. For other questions, call the North Ranch Center at 805.373.3725 between 1:00 and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday.

























