T.O. Boulevard improvement plan to require increased assessments
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

Plans to upgrade a portion of Thousand Oaks Boulevard continue to move forward with the recent city council approval of a five-year management plan. A 5 percent increase in property owner assessments to be used to carry out the plan was also passed.

The plan details several goals, including encouraging development of housing adjacent to commercial units to maximize use of deep parcels, and the possibility of adding parking structures to accommodate such growth.

"The district is really now getting rolling because it took awhile to collect the funds," said Gary Wartik, the city's economic development manager.

Last year about $99,000 in assessments was collected; this year it will be about $105,000. Assessments are collected annually by the Ventura County tax assessor and transferred to the city, which then provides the money to the Thousand Oaks Boulevard Association. An increase of up to 5 percent can be instituted each year if approved by the council and the Business Improvement District.

"It will cost us all some money, but running a business and planning a development costs money-that's nothing new to an entrepreneur," according to the report.

A consultant will be selected to help create an overall or series of improvement plans covering beautification, traffic, parking and marketing. The community, planning commission and city council will all review the recommendations, according to Wartik. He doesn't anticipate anything being ready before December.

Thousand Oaks Boulevard Association leaders, including local business owners Cal Johnston and Rick Principe, struggled for two years to form the district, which encompasses Thousand Oaks Boulevard and adjacent commercial streets from Duesenberg Drive to Moorpark Road. A number of property owners were against it for various reasons, including concern over the potential for increased development along the boulevard and assessments each owner will pay over the five years to fund the Business Improvement District.

The district was created in January 2005 after a vote on the issue by property owners. At that time a five-year term was approved that ends in December 2009. If the Improvement District is to continue after that time, it must again go through the petition process with the city.

"We have a very good group of property owners with strong leadership and a clear vision of where they want to go," Wartik said.