CALABASAS : Downtown to Adopt Old West Theme

Calabasas officials have approved plans to promote the town’s gunslinger past by adorning its two-block historic core with old-fashioned signs, street lights, wooden sidewalks and planters.

At a joint meeting Wednesday night, the Calabasas City Council and Planning Commission agreed to move forward with the project, which will cost an estimated $900,000.

The project, to be financed through the sale of certificates of participation, was proposed as a way to transform the area near the historic Leonis Adobe into an Old West-style shopping and dining center.

The project will include the construction of a landscaped street median, sidewalks, planters, wooden benches, street lights and signs. Merchants in the area will have new guidelines for their signs, Harris said.

“We’re trying for less glass and chrome and more of the Old West,” Calabasas Planning Director Steve Harris said. “We want to attract more people down there to stay and visit the specialty stores and walk around.”

The stretch of Calabasas Road between Park Granada Boulevard and Mulholland Drive--an area that during the late 1800s lured travelers to its saloons and dance halls--already is home to the Sagebrush Cantina, a popular hangout.

With the planned improvements, Harris said, the street motif will tie in with the Western atmosphere created by the cantina and the Leonis Adobe museum.

Separate plans for a parking structure on the south side of Calabasas Road have stalled, however, because the would-be construction site is within the city of Los Angeles, creating problems with jurisdiction.

The city of Los Angeles is considering a request from Calabasas officials to annex the land, which includes the Sagebrush Cantina and the Leonis Adobe.