A venue featuring outdoor bars in modified cargo containers and food trucks is moving forward after getting a green light from the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission.
Plans call for beer and wine bars to rise next to each other in two 40-feet-by-8-feet shipping containers in what's now an overflow parking lot behind the Hyatt Regency Westlake, 880 S. Westlake Blvd. A third container of similar size will provide restrooms at the venue, which is being called The Drop Yard.
Derek Reynolds said he and fellow owner David Berlinger, who will rent the land from the hotel, would like to open The Drop Yard by the end of the year if possible.
Reynolds and Berlinger, Thousand Oaks residents whose limited liability company is called Truck Stop Holdings LLC, won approval June 17 from the commission, which voted 4-0 in favor of the project. Commissioner Justin Link was absent.
The venue's name refers to a term commonly used for a trucking industry storage yard.
The vote allows the owners, who spoke before the commission, to proceed with applications for a building permit and liquor license, Reynolds said. While the state of California certifies the shipping containers, the city building code regulates the concrete pads where they sit, he said.
The Drop Yard will remake a spare parking lot with 86 spaces situated near the southbound side of Highway 101, city staff said in a report. An onramp to the southbound freeway creates a landscaped slope that hugs one side of the lot. On the other side, a roadway, Village Glen, separates it from the rest of the hotel property to the south.
On a recent weekday, the lot was empty except for a few cars. The area around the hotel is commercial and includes a large office building.
Berlinger and Reynolds said they will install their own fence around the entire site. Access to the lot will remain as is between two big oak trees. Parking at the hotel's main lot will be a short walk from the site.
Plans include space for three food trucks, an eating area with tables, outdoor games and a stage, Reynolds said. The stage where bands will play will actually be a flatbed truck. In front, artificial turf will provide a seating area where audience members can sit on blankets and lawn chairs.
The family-friendly venue will showcase local entertainment and could feature a farmers market, line dancing and movie nights, Berlinger said.
A variety of food trucks would rotate into the venue and may offer everything from lobster to Mexican cuisine to grilled cheese sandwiches, Reynolds said.
To fulfill a menu requirement for the liquor license, Reynolds said he and Berlinger plan to serve light fare such as pretzels and breakfast burritos prepared in a kitchen in one of the bars. They will avoid competing with the food trucks, he added.
Berlinger said he and Reynolds got the inspiration for their project when they vacationed in Florida and saw people running around with their dogs in an outdoor venue with bars and food trucks.
“I know they are popping up in other locations with great weather,” Berlinger said, adding the local venue will welcome pets.
The Drop Yard could produce 15 to 30 jobs, the owners said.
The commission’s OK came after a short hearing in which no opposition was expressed. Two supporters spoke: Danielle Borja, president and CEO of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, and a spokesman for the hotel.
Commission Chair Don Lanson said he couldn’t imagine a better purpose for the site, while Commissioner Sharon McMahon said it was a place for the community to gather that doesn't encroach on a residential area.
Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached atdave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.
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