Developer Seeks Extension to Revise Retail Plan : Design: Kilroy Industries, whose agreement with Thousand Oaks expires next week, wants 60 more days to come up with an acceptable proposal for the private side of Civic Arts Plaza.

People here know what they want. Or rather what they don’t want.

Earlier this fall, when residents had a look at Kilroy Industries’ plan to build movie theaters, restaurants and shops on the land next to the Civic Arts Plaza, they said a definitive “No thank you.”

Looks too much like a strip mall, residents told the developer during a series of public sessions. The hotel isn’t nice enough, they said. Get rid of that road; it would muck up the park.

Chastened by the complaints, the El Segundo-based company’s design team scurried back to the drafting table to revamp the development.

But the company’s 90-day exclusive negotiating agreement with the city runs out Dec. 27. After hearing a presentation of some of the changes the company is proposing, the City Council will vote tonight on extending the agreement another 60 days.

Hugh Greenup, senior vice president of development and marketing for Kilroy, said he hopes the new version will satisfy residents.

“We think it is responsive to the people and the comments we’ve gotten,” Greenup said.

If the extension is approved, Kilroy will take its presentation on the road again, meeting with community groups and the Mayor’s Business Roundtable in coming weeks. The negotiations with concerned residents don’t trouble Greenup.

“I know how much Thousand Oaks cares about its real estate decisions,” he said. “The group has been really positive and tried to help us build a project that makes the most sense for everybody.”

The so-called private side of the Civic Arts Plaza has long been planned for development. The property is valued at $9 million. Selling or leasing it is expected to offset some of the costs of the $64-million Civic Arts Plaza.

Part of the reason it has been so hard to satisfy residents is that many of them have an idea of what they want to see on the property. A committee of 107 residents met last year and put together a long list of ideas for the land. They wanted a pedestrian-friendly place to eat and drink before and after shows.

Committee member Cathy Schutz said Kilroy initially didn’t seem prepared for the high level of involvement. The first presentations last month stayed away from specifics and focused on corporate history instead.

“I think they realized that they didn’t give the residents what they wanted,” she said. “Nobody wanted to sit there and listen to the history of their company for an hour.

“More power to them for taking the extra 60 days to do it right,” Schutz added. “Because of those citizen meetings, I think they heard what the citizens are saying and they listened.”

Greenup said residents told him they want the project to be less dense and boxy. To accomplish that, designers have eliminated the hotel--at least temporarily--and added more “nooks and crannies,” he said. Kilroy has also added a man-made stream with fountains.

Another concern from residents was that the entrance to the development would cut through the park at the Civic Arts Plaza and create a psychological barrier between the two entertainment venues. Kilroy is still looking at ways to fix that problem, including putting the entrance on Conejo School Road instead.

“We’re looking very hard at that concept and we think we’ll be able to accomplish that,” he said.