Commission Approves $50-Million Plan to Renovate Janss Mall : Thousand Oaks: But owner says scaled-down project could jeopardize an agreement with the expected major tenant. New version reduces number of advertising signs.

Thousand Oaks planners have approved a $50-million project to spruce up the Janss Mall, but sign limits they imposed may scare away Mervyn’s, the mall’s expected major tenant.

The scaled-down version of the project, approved 4 to 0 by the Planning Commission late Monday, reduced the number of free-standing signs that will be erected to advertise the mall and called for smaller lettering on some signs. Commissioner Marilyn Carpenter was absent.

The mall owner said he fears that the changes to the signs could jeopardize an agreement he has already signed with Mervyn’s. That agreement with the department store includes guidelines for the size and number of advertising signs.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal after a public hearing next week.

At Monday’s meeting, planning commissioners told developer Bill Janss that they were eager to see the improvements to the mall, which has not undergone major renovation since it opened in 1960, four years before the city’s incorporation.

“All of us have been very sad about what the mall has looked like, so the thought of having it dressed up is very pleasing,” commission Chairman Irving Wasserman said. “But as much as we hated to do it, it simply would have been inconsistent for us to approve the signage they requested.”

As initially proposed, the shopping center would have seven free-standing signs that would advertise both the mall’s name and the names of some of its stores. Also, signs on the Mervyn’s store would in some instances have five-foot-high lettering, far exceeding the city’s normal allowance.

The commission, however, approved only three free-standing signs that would advertise only the mall’s name and not individual stores. And the signs on the Mervyn’s building would have scaled-down lettering of varying sizes, but none as high as five feet.

Janss said after the meeting that he was pleased with the commission’s review but concerned about the project’s future because the signs were a crucial factor in Mervyn’s decision to sign a letter of intent to join the mall.

Mervyn’s and other anchor tenants have agreed to contribute a total of $13 million toward the $50-million face lift, Janss said.

“I’m afraid I didn’t make it clear to (the commission) that having the proper signs was a condition of our agreement with Mervyn’s,” Janss said. “If the City Council passes the version that we left here with today, Mervyn’s may back out.”

The Mervyn’s representative at the Planning Commission meeting said it was too soon to tell if the store would pull out.

“Thousand Oaks is a community we’ve wanted to be in for years,” said Ignacio Gomez, Mervyn’s senior real estate project manager. “But asking us to cut back on our signage is like asking a runner to cut off one of his feet.”

Gomez said the store has conducted studies showing that signs play a major role in attracting business. He said it would be very unusual for the store to deviate from its normal signage, including the large lettering on the building.

Commissioners said they simply could not grant the exceptions to the city’s sign codes because it had turned down similar requests from The Oaks mall.

“It’s really up to the council to make that kind of exception,” Wasserman said. “It would be irresponsible for us to deviate from the codes that way.”

Aside from the signs, commissioners said they were impressed by the proposed design, which included extensive walkways, outdoor seating areas, landscaping, a multilevel parking garage and a movie theater.

Commissioners recommended a zoning variance that would allow the theater and parking garage to extend above the zone’s 35-foot height limit.

If the project and the zoning change are approved by the council, the mall will house several major chains, including Blockbuster Video, a Barnes & Noble bookstore and Mann Theaters.

Groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for June, and the mall, renamed the Janss Marketplace, is slated to open in 1995, Janss said.

NEXT STEP

The Thousand Oaks City Council is scheduled to vote on the Janss Mall expansion plan after a public hearing on the project at Tuesday’s council meeting. The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 2400 Willow Lane.