City council does the right thing

A deal is a deal, but the city of Thousand Oaks almost broke its deal with Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso to build the Civic Arts Plaza project.

To its credit, the council heard pleas from citizens and agreed to move forward on the development just east of City Hall.

Councilmember Ed Masry threatened to pull the plug on the now three-year-old Caruso agreement as fears trickled through city hall that the Discovery Center, which was supposed to be the heart of the project, might not be built.

Caruso’s 50,000-square-foot complex, which includes shops, restaurants and a seasonal ice skating rink, would be a final piece to the puzzle for the rejuvenation of Thousand Oaks Boulevard and we endorse it wholeheartedly.

Masry, to his credit, promised to "shepherd" the public dollar by making sure Caruso didn’t receive his development at the expense of the taxpayer. But at the Oct. 21 city council meeting, public support for the project was overwhelming and Masry sensed this.

Sure, Caruso could "hit a home run" with his project and make loads of money, councilmembers said, just as he did with the Promenade development. In any event, the city shouldn’t feel bad about offering Caruso his perks.

Even if Caruso proceeds and the Discovery Center does not get built, the city’s stake in the development will pay for itself handsomely.

In the end, Masry, who is learning to be as good a politician as he is a lawyer, agreed to support Caruso as long as certain changes were made with respect to parking, setbacks and oak tree removal.

Thanks to the council’s forward thinking, everybody in Thousand Oaks will be a winner, including the Discovery Center, which figures to receive a big boost to its fundraising once Caruso breaks ground.

The project that the city envisioned almost a decade ago might finally come to pass.