THOUSAND OAKS : Circuit City Told to Test Visibility

Circuit City, which is building a new store in Thousand Oaks over the objections of nearby residents, must display temporary antennas and satellite dishes on the roof of the building before permanently installing the equipment.

Thousand Oaks City Council members on Tuesday night sided with residents who said the city should make sure that the equipment is not visible from roads and nearby homes before the permanent installation is approved.

“This is too touchy an issue,” Mayor Robert E. Lewis said. “We need to know exactly what’s occurring.”

The company wants to install two 7-foot-tall satellite dishes and three 5-foot-tall television antennas on top of the store now under construction at Lynn Road and Hillcrest Drive.

The store has already drawn criticism from neighbors. Critics collected about 2,500 signatures from residents who say the stark cinder-block walls resemble a prison and block out views of surrounding hills.

A Circuit City vice president announced this week that Circuit City will lower the height of one of its three towers by two feet.

The company has also agreed to paint the 23,800-square-foot structure a darker earth tone and to install a darker shade of clay-tile roof so that the building will blend into the landscape.

Herbert Horowitz, an architect for Circuit City, said models of the antennas and satellite dishes will be provided in October. Surrounding neighbors and homeowner associations will also be notified, he said.