Action May Be Bad Sign for Janss Mall Project : Thousand Oaks: Denial of request by Toys R Us for more signage at gateway could jeopardize planned renovation.

Recoiling from a request some characterized as blackmail, Thousand Oaks council members have decided that Toys R Us cannot tack its name onto a tile-and-stone wall planned as a flashy new gateway to the Janss Mall.

But that decision could jeopardize the mall’s $55-million renovation, as Toys R Us representatives have threatened to block the entire project unless they can erect more signs.

The Toys R Us lease grants the store the power to veto any major change in the Janss Mall.

The company will exercise its clout, attorney Richard Greenberg said, “unless sufficient steps are taken to ensure that our store is not adversely affected.” Among Toys R Us key demands: “A significant increase in signage.”

Calling that bluff, council members Tuesday refused to add the Toys R Us name to the 84-foot-long wall that will stand at Moorpark Road and Hillcrest Drive.

The council agreed, on a 3-2 vote, that the Mervyn’s name could adorn one wing of the wall. The discount department store had first applied for that privilege last spring, only to be blocked by a tie vote when Mayor Alex Fiore was absent from the public hearing. With Fiore presiding, the council majority approved the sign Tuesday.

But the council members accused Toys R Us of piggy-backing onto Mervyn’s proposal at the eleventh hour, hoping to squeeze a concession from the council.

“Having been given an inch, businesses are coming back and asking for a foot or a foot-and-a-half,” Councilwoman Judy Lazar said. “I don’t like the word blackmail . . . but I’m very uncomfortable at this point.”

Even Fiore, who supported the signs, said he considered the heavy pressure “some form of blackmail.”

Toys R Us attorney Greenberg bristled at any hint of coercion, saying, “It’s completely inaccurate to call this blackmail.”

Whatever the terminology, the tactic backfired.

The council granted Toys R Us only one concession: the store will be allowed to use larger letters in its exterior wall sign. Fiore also suggested that Toys R Us can return to the council once the entryway sign is installed and request a modification.

Toys R Us attorneys refused to speculate on whether the exterior sign will be enough to boost the store’s visibility. In interviews Wednesday, they continued to take a hard line.

“It’s more than just a question of whether we can have the sign,” said Michael Tumolo, a vice president and real estate counsel for Toys R Us. “There are many issues. (But) what we’ve said is, we would be willing to consider approving the redevelopment if we could get the sign.”

Along with the sign issue, Toys R Us has concerns about proposed alterations in the Janss Mall parking lot. And the company opposes any construction that would affect the store during the crucial pre-Christmas sales period of October through December, Tumolo said.

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The public hearing Tuesday night brought out two of the 14 challengers running for council seats, who landed on opposite sides of the sign debate.

Candidate Michael Markey urged approval of the signs, arguing that they would would attract customers--and their sales tax dollars--to Thousand Oaks. “They’ve done whatever they can to make it look aesthetically pleasing,” he said.

Opposing him, candidate Lee Laxdal expressed frustration that Toys R Us had “jumped on board” to clamor for a sign such as Mervyn’s. Sign requests had proliferated like rabbits, he said. Laxdal asked the council to send the entire matter to the Planning Commission for review.