Bury the wires.

That was the sentiment of a number of residents who attended an open house Wednesday evening to learn about Southern California Edison's plans to build a substation and transmission line on Olsen Road west of Country Club Drive in Thousand Oaks.

"The big selling point (in Wood Ranch) when people moved in 20 years ago was underground utilities," Wood Ranch resident Cheryl Muro said at the open house at California Lutheran University. "That is the future. Basically, Edison wants to do it as cheap as possible."

Edison plans to submit an application to the California Public Utilities Commission in December seeking approval for a distribution substation and a new overhead subtransmission line that would connect to two existing lines, according to a project overview.

The substation is meant to meet projected demand in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and neighboring unincorporated portions of Ventura County. During the first hour and a half of the open house, 75 to 80 people turned out to learn about it.

"People are concerned with the visual impact of the poles we need to erect," Edison Regional Manager Rudy Gonzalez said. "Undergrounding is very expensive."

The preferred route for the subtransmission line would travel down Read Road on the border of Thousand Oaks and the Tierra Rejada greenbelt and up Esperance Drive, along the property line of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

The alternative route would have the subtransmission line traversing Olsen Road, which turns into Madera Road, and ending at a substation line near the intersection of Madera Road and Royal Avenue. It would pass the Wood Ranch neighborhood in Simi Valley, where the first residents had to pay to put their utilities underground.

Edison Project Manager Kathryn Enright said that during outages, overhead lines are easier for crews to access to determine and fix problems.

Residents of the greenbelt behind the Reagan Library don't want to see lines coursing the valley. Along with aesthetic concerns, they cited protected species and high winds that could pose a fire risk.

"I respected the privilege of living in that greenbelt and now they're going to put steel poles in," said Scott Richards, who lives in the neighborhood that would be affected if the preferred option for the subtransmission lines is adopted.

Mary Fitzpatrick operates a ranch where she trains horses and riders. She said her business would be hurt by having power lines above her arena.

"It's so obtrusive," she said. "Why not go underground?"

But Jonathan Steepe, who lives along the proposed alternative line in Thousand Oaks, said he wasn't concerned.

"It's clear it's not going to harm us," the retired CLU professor said.

Residents who attended the open house were asked to fill out comment cards, to which Edison will respond. There will be a public comment period when the application goes to the PUC for deliberation.

City officials in both Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley have been briefed on the proposed project. Representatives from both cities said they are concerned about aesthetics.

"I think they did a good job of answering all the questions," said Brian Gabler, Simi Valley's director of economic development and assistant city manager. He said the city would like to see lines placed underground and the substation blended into the neighborhood.