Thousand Oaks Civic Plan Overdue

The Civic Arts Plaza proposed for Thousand Oaks is long overdue.

It’s time for our city to plan for its future and what better way than to OK a first-rate plan for a much-needed hotel and civic auditorium. As designed, the project will set a new and very high standard for commercial development and breathe new life into our downtown.

This project will bring a greater sense of community to Thousand Oaks, not to mention more than $1 million that will fill city coffers each year thanks to property and sales taxes, and the 10% bed tax from the hotel.

If Thousand Oaks continues to bow to pressure from a small group of shrill voices bent on self-promotion, we have lost sight of the future. Sure, the city has to pay out some money to get the project going, but that’s just the seed money to create a “town commons” and also assure a multimillion-dollar income well into the 21st Century.

I applaud the council’s efforts to move ahead with the plans for the old Jungleland site. It’s about time the citizens of Thousand Oaks have a downtown civic center we can be proud of.

GINA B. DEEMING

Thousand Oaks