Developer presents expansion plans for The Oaks mall in T.O.

By Sophia Fischer

sfischer@theacorn.com

Thousand Oaks residents got a chance to see and hear about expansion plans for The Oaks mall firsthand last week during an informational public meeting hosted by the shopping center’s owner and developer, the Macerich Company.

About 70 people filled a ballroom at the Clarion Palm Garden Hotel in Newbury Park, where Macerich executives gave a slide presentation and displayed large drawings of what the mall will look like after the $100-million renovation. Mall architects and designers addressed the audience and answered questions.

The mall renovation encompasses three phases. Macerich is only seeking approval for the first phase, which would add Nordstrom, consolidate the two Robinsons-May stores, add two four-level parking structures and update the overall look of the building, inside and out.

Macerich hopes to bring the project before the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission in March, and then to the city council in April.

A citizen’s advisory committee created by the Thousand Oaks City Council met 14 times to address concerns about the project. As a result, Macerich scaled back the original concept. Changes included a decrease in the expansion from an additional 250,000 square feet in Phase 1 to less than 183,000 square feet; and the two multilevel parking decks were pushed farther away from the freeway, closer to mall buildings and screened with landscaping to minimize view impacts.

"The project has changed a lot because of all of our comments," said Judy Lazar, co-chair of the advisory committee with Bob Lewis. "Macerich has really worked with us."

Some of the concerns raised during the public meeting were the same ones brought up by the advisory committee, including light pollution, traffic and the fate of existing trees.

Victor Montavon of Newbury Park questioned the increase in lighting, primarily from the planned parking garages.

"What will it be like at night?" said Montavon. "Right now it’s very subtle. I don’t think people are aware of how much brighter it will be."

Lewis reassured Montavan that lights on the top decks of the parking structures would be focused down to minimize their effect on the area.

Several residents were concerned about the increased traffic that is anticipated once the mall is renovated. According to an environmental impact report, an additional 14,252 daily car trips could be generated after the project’s three phases are completed. Most of that increase would come from Phase 2, an outdoor entertainment center that will include theaters and restaurants on the current site of the weekly farmers market.

The Lynn Road/Hillcrest Drive and Lynn Road/101 Freeway entrances may be expanded to help offset congestion. Randy Brant, Macerich senior vice president of development/leasing, said that in the first phase there would be a minimal impact on traffic.

"It’s not going to be like a movie experience. There’s no rush to leave at the same time," Brant said.

The Macerich Company, based in Santa Monica, owns 60 regional shopping centers in 20 states, according to Steve Spector, senior vice president legal and associate general counsel. Macerich acquired The Oaks in 2002, and in 2003 filed initial paperwork with the city for renovation permission. The mall opened in 1978.

"The Oaks mall got left in the past a little bit," Brant said. "If you look at the design, layout and the merchandise in it, it really hasn’t kept up with the times."

Illustrations exhibited at the public meeting depict the renovated mall with Spanish-style architecture, red tile roofs, terra cotta planters and archways, as well as wrought iron ornamentation, updated lighting, mosaic tile and stamped concrete floors, fountains and benches. A food court with indoor/outdoor seating and a children’s play area are part of the new design.

Landscaping is a focal point of the renovation. Most of the more than 1,300 existing trees will be preserved. Some will be transplanted to help screen the planned parking garages; others will be removed due to poor health or difficulty in transplanting. Several redwoods will be removed because they are deemed non-native to this area. Phase 1 will include the planting of 992 new trees.

"We’re spending more than double what is typically spent on mall landscaping," Brant said.

The mall generates $2.4 million in sales tax revenues, 10 percent of the city’s total tax revenue, according to Gary Wartik, the city’s economic development manager. As much as $700,000 per year in additional revenues could be realized with the expansion, much of it from Nordstrom, Wartik adds.

"Many of our employees live in the Thousand Oaks area, so The Oaks is an opportunity to do something for our community that we can all be proud of for many years," said Spector.

The final public meeting will be held at 7 p.m. next Wed., Feb. 2 at the Westlake Hyatt.