The Oaks is a regional asset. It enables shoppers from throughout the area to buy things here at home. It keeps our tax dollars in Thousand Oaks.

The Oaks attracts customers from here and beyond because it’s the largest retail mall in East Ventura County. The only other regional shopping centers of any consequence are in the San Fernando Valley. And like them or not, if you have to drive there, you’re adding to freeway traffic and air pollution.

To stay profitable, any healthy business must occasionally invest in itself. The world of retail sales is highly competitive. Stores and shopping malls need all the advantages they can get. It’s vital to stay new and modern.

If a business is turning a profit, it needs and deserves to be fed and nurtured. If it’s viable, let it grow. The old adage is still true: it takes money to make money.

The Oaks has matured. It’s time for a facelift. It’s time for expansion. If the mall isn’t allowed to reinvent itself, it will slowly lose its share of the market. It will lose consumers to bigger and better shopping centers. Money will be lost to other cities.

The Oaks deserves a shot in the arm.

It’s been a cash cow for years and it will continue to produce sales tax revenue for our city if it’s allowed to grow and prosper.

The disadvantages are minor when compared to the positives.

The Oaks renovation and expansion project deserves a speedy approval from the city of Thousand Oaks.