THOUSAND OAKS : Citizens Will Join Housing Issues Panel

Thousand Oaks’ housing issues committee will expand its roster next month to include citizens as well as council members and planning commissioners.

For the first time, the panel has invited residents to apply for five at-large seats. Applications, available in the city clerk’s office, are due March 3.

Chaired by Mayor Elois Zeanah, the committee examines housing issues in Thousand Oaks, focusing on the best ways to provide low-cost housing and help first-time buyers. Other committee members are Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski and planning commissioners Merv Kopp and Linda Parks.

Applicants should have backgrounds in real estate, social services or urban planning as well as a general interest in neighborhoods and housing issues, Zukowski said.

“We have had very little citizen input--that’s what seems to be missing in the equation,” Zukowski said. “We need people who can keep a balanced perspective, (looking at) not just profitability of developments but also livability.”

The term for the citizen members has not yet been decided, City Clerk Nancy Dillon said.