Getting a grip on the goals of the city's redevelopment agency
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Council members wear two hats at every meeting of the City Council. No, not boxing helmets and cowboy hats- though sometimes it seems like they should. The three men and two women are members of both the council and the Thousand Oaks Redevelopment Agency.

Most people understand what a City Council is: those elected by city residents to take care of local government needs. But, some wonder, what is a redevelopment agency?

The answer provided by city public relations assistant Mary Lech is that the Thousand Oaks Redevelopment Agency is a legal entity separate from the city of Thousand Oaks established in October 1971. Council members serve as the redevelopment agency board. The city manager is the agency's executive director, and the community development department director serves as deputy executive director. The city clerk and city attorney are secretary and general council respectively.

The agency's purpose is to improve physical, social and economic conditions within a designated redevelopment project area. That means old, run-down places must make way for aesthetic improvements that bring jobs and activity back into a community.

Having a redevelopment agency gives local government the tools to implement economic development. The agency's actions are governed by the state, which requires them to allocate 20 percent of total revenues for affordable housing.

More than 400 California cities and counties operate redevelopment programs.

Two redevelopment project areas are currently active in Thousand Oaks: the 1,279-acre Thousand Oaks Boulevard area, adopted in 1979; and the 273-acre Newbury Road Project Area, adopted in 1986.

The redevelopment agency has funded the Civic Arts Plaza, school improvements such as the Westlake High School football stadium and the Thousand Oaks High School Performing Arts Center. Funding for the redevelopment agency doesn't come from the city's general fund but from property tax revenue, low-to-moderate housing funds from the state and the community development block grants fund. Additional information related to redevelopment agencies statewide can be found at California Redevelopment Association www.calredevelop.org.