THOUSAND OAKS : Arts Panel Backs Civic Center Tower

A Thousand Oaks arts advisory group has voted to support the construction of a 101-foot theater tower at the Jungleland civic arts center, despite criticism that it is too tall for the project.

“It’s needed for a function of the theater,” Thousand Oaks Arts Commission Chairwoman Sharon Radashaw said Friday. “We didn’t want to have a civic auditorium that couldn’t put on a production properly.”

The commission in a 7-1 vote last week agreed to support the project, Radashaw said. The lone dissenter was Commissioner Dan Witting, who supported the civic center but believed its design should not be addressed by the commission, according to a memo to the City Council.

Earlier this month, the city’s Planning Commission voted 3 to 1 to reject the design change and suggested that the tower be scaled down.

Called a fly tower, the structure is planned for the performing arts auditorium and would be used to hide scenery and to allow sets to be raised and lowered.

City planners have recommended that the design be approved when the City Council reviews the plans on Tuesday night.

The 1,800-seat performing arts auditorium is the centerpiece of a $63.8-million civic arts center that the city is building at Conejo School Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

But the city has been criticized for designing a theater that defies city standards on height. In general, the city limits buildings to 35 feet, but has made an exception in the case of the civic arts center.