Editorial: Thousand Oaks is thinking big
In Thousand Oaks, city officials are thinking big and they’re thinking ahead. It could become a trend in the East County.
Earlier this month, the City Council voted to move forward with preliminary design for a $123.2 million expansion of the Civic Arts Plaza campus, a project that will include a new city hall, a plaza that could host farmers’ markets and community events, a small outdoor amphitheater, retail space for shopping and dining, renovation of the existing City Hall building and modest number of apartments or condominiums.
It is envisioned to be, in short, a new “Main Street” for a city that doesn’t really have one.
Meanwhile, 12 miles to the north at Moorpark College, plans continue apace for a $35 million, 4,000-seat amphitheater that would become the county’s first large outdoor concert venue.
The Thousand Oaks concept has been in the works for a number of years and is part of a Downtown Core Master Plan that was adopted in 2018. The city has already set aside $35 million in financing and established a patient timetable, with the hope for completion in 2032.
More: Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza gets green light for expansion
In voting to move the plan forward, Mayor Al Adam called the action “the most consequential decision this council has made since the building of the Civic Arts Plaza 30 years ago.” One notable thing about that observation is that the plaza is only 30 years old. Acting now to keep the area up to date ensures it won’t soon become out of date.
The project has drawn some effusive community support, including from the Chamber of Commerce. Attorney Tom Cohen, a lifelong resident, noted in a letter of support: “What has been missing is a downtown gathering place… Now we have the opportunity to create that place, that gathering place where the community gets together and connects.”
The concept of thinking big about projects to enhance community life is also behind the Moorpark College Foundation’s bold plan for an amphitheater that would become the grandest such venue between the famed Hollywood and Santa Barbara bowls.
The project secured a $500,000 state grant last year, and a major fund-raising event is planned for next month (June 29) that will feature a gourmet dinner and what it calls an “intimate” concert featuring recording star Pat Benatar and her musical partner Neil Giraldo.
Big ideas, of course, don’t always get off the ground.
A big plan to build a minor league baseball stadium and surrounding entertainment district at the Ventura County Fairgrounds was shot down last year by the Fair’s governing board. That would have been the biggest project to create a large community gathering place in the West County, but it never really stood much of a chance as a proposal that, to use a baseball analogy, came out of left field from private interests.
Part of the problem was jurisdictional conflict — it was proposed on state-owned land overseen by the Fair Board, to enhance the community experience of a city that doesn’t have any say over land uses on the property. The city and the board have different visions and missions.
But the biggest difference is in the planning. In Thousand Oaks, the master plan for the campus was developed through a public process that involved extensive community input and buy-in. The Moorpark College Foundation’s vision was developed in concert with college officials and the school’s Music, Dance and Theater Arts programs.
The lesson here is that it takes a village to pull off a big idea. Congratulations to Thousand Oaks for moving forward.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Editorial: Thousand Oaks is thinking big
