Signs Point to Lighting Violations

The Promenade at Westlake has drawn praise as a pedestrian-friendly shopping center, a shining example of tasteful development. But some city officials worry that the wildly popular shopping plaza shines a bit too brightly.

According to the city’s Planning Department, signs throughout the plaza--many lit with colored neon--violate approved design guidelines. A memorandum written by city planner Paul Metrovitsch two weeks after the Promenade’s November opening listed 14 sign violations.

The memorandum cites an array of colored neon signs on Promenade storefronts, including red neon at Hollywood Video, peach neon outside the M. Fredric clothing stores, and red neon atop some of the decorative towers that can be seen from the Ventura Freeway.

For the Promenade at Westlake, colored neon “is a no-no,” said city planner Bob Rickards, who is inspecting the completed plaza. He characterized the review as routine for all big developments, and said he expects many of the sign violations to be corrected. The city enjoys a good relationship with Rick Caruso, the Promenade’s developer, Rickards said.

Strict sign ordinances have long been part of the tools used in Thousand Oaks to prevent visual pollution and preserve a rural atmosphere. When In-N-Out Burgers built a fast-food stop in Thousand Oaks, for instance, it had to alter the colors of its famous logo.

Advocates of strict sign standards say if officials become less vigilant in enforcing city codes, Thousand Oaks might begin a slide toward heavy urbanization.

Councilwoman Linda Parks praised the Promenade as a pedestrian-oriented center that has brought community members together. But its appearance concerns her.

“It’s a very urban look for a city that calls for a semirural look,” Parks said. “It is a concern that we’re seeing a decline in our sign standards. It is one of the things that sets us apart from the San Fernando Valley.”

Metrovitsch said planners expect to review the Promenade’s sign regulations with Caruso, the developer. Approval of new stores at the Promenade may hinge on correction of the current sign situation, he said. Caruso said Tuesday that he has not been contacted by city officials about sign violations.

“Nobody’s called me,” Caruso said. “We haven’t had complaints from anybody. . . . We haven’t been notified of any violations. I must assume that there isn’t any.”

Caruso said to his knowledge, all of the signs at the Promenade have been approved by the city, but “if some tenants have some colored neon that weren’t allowed . . . we’ll seek a [code] variance, or we’ll correct them.”

Caruso, who predicts the new shopping mall will generate $100 million in annual sales, said city officials granted some sign code variances for the project during planning stages. He said that enabled stores in the plaza to put up different, unique types of signs that helped give the Promenade “visual appeal” beyond most signs in Thousand Oaks.

Many signs in the city are “ugly and look cheap,” Caruso said.

“People now have the opportunity to judge that project by looking at it,” he said. “The feedback we’ve gotten is that everybody loves the project, including the signage and the colors.”

Store managers at the Promenade said they were not aware that their signs violate city regulations.

“It’s just as professional as all the other signs here,” said Bill Borzage, manager of Hollywood Video.

Brigette Baxter, the owner of Willows, a home-accessories store, said her glowing green sign is a hit.

“Actually, people love the sign,” Baxter said. “They can see it from a distance. It makes the store easy to find.”

City Councilman Andy Fox said he has received no complaints from residents about the signs at the Promenade.

“It’s a good-looking project,” Fox said. “There’s a reason it’s so popular. In part, it has to do with the architecture and the lighting.”

Despite widespread praise for the Promenade, some officials say because it is a high-profile project, it is important that the city ensures it follows planning guidelines. Planning Commission Chairman John Powers said he is wary of sign saturation at the Promenade, and “if there’s going to be added signage to it, I’d be strongly opposed.”

The city strictly enforces sign ordinances on Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Powers said, many times preventing small retail stores from erecting new signs.

“Why would we allow an exception for the Promenade, and not a business on Thousand Oaks Boulevard? It [would be] a one-up on the average retailer on the boulevard,” Powers said.

“I think the Promenade is a very exciting place. People have flocked to it, because it’s scratched an itch for the community,” Planning Commissioner Marilyn Carpenter said. “There’s a mix of stores, entertainment, [places to] stroll around. . . . On balance, I think the community is very happy with the Promenade. The evidence is that they’re there all the time. It’s hard to argue with success.”

But Carpenter added, “I think whatever we do should be consistent with the design guidelines that have been put in place. If there are conditions spelled out as part of the permitting process, those should be met.”