Enhancing the visitor’s experience is the goal of a plan to upgrade the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, which includes the city government’s offices.

The city council gave its approval last week for the creation of a design plan for the facility, built in 1994.

Although the council voted unanimously, Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Peña did so with reluctance.

“This is a large amount of money to spend on improvements to city hall,” Bill-de la Peña said. “It seems excessive to me.”

City staff and an ad hoc committee came up with 60 areas of potential improvement after doing an assessment of the facility’s needs. Of those, six were chosen as top priorities.

The proposed upgrades are designed to enhance aesthetics through landscaping, make clearer signage and improve traffic circulation. They include the turnaround area outside the parking structure; the second floor entrance to city hall; the second floor lobby; entrances to the Civic Arts Plaza from The Lakes, the new retail center to the east; directional signs; and the “copper curtain” sculpture on the side othe building.

The entrances to the theaters and city hall would be improved through landscaping.

“It lacks a bit of importance and overall impression when you arrive at city hall,” said Liz Perez, city construction project coordinator.

Visitors to the facility often have trouble finding their way through the maze of buildings and offices, added Perez.

Security and lighting would be improved on the east side of the facility, making it easier fopeople coming from The Lakes to get to the Civic Arts Plaza. The redesigning of the coppecurtain sculpture has long been the subject of discussion. The city firsissued a request for proposals in 2001 but put off a decision due to a lawsuit between the city and the Civic Arts Plaza builder regarding structural and other problems. “We’ve had continued concerns from the public about thisWe will turn it over to the architects for options,” Perez said. Cost of the design plan will noexceed $100,000. Kaplan Chen Kaplan, a Santa Monica-based architectural and design firm, was chosen to compile a master plan for the next 10 years.

The city’s capital improvement budget includes $500,000 per year for 2006-07 through 2009-10 for those projects approved by the council.