Mall Expansion Requires Oaks’ Removal, Study Says

Plans to renovate and expand The Oaks mall by adding a Nordstrom department store, two restaurants and dozens of luxury retailers would mean more traffic, increased air pollution and the removal of more than 50 oak trees, according to an environmental study released Tuesday.

The $100-million project by Macerich Co. of Santa Monica also would expand one of two Robinsons-May stores now at the Thousand Oaks center and require a trio of four-level parking structures to accommodate shoppers.

If the three phases of the project are completed as planned, Ventura County’s largest shopping venue would grow 45% to nearly 1.6 million square feet.

The mall owner is now only looking for city approval for the first phase, an expansion of almost 183,000 square feet.

Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Pena said The Oaks, which opened in 1978, needs to be updated but not to the extent that it damages the environment or the community’s quality of life.

“I definitely think The Oaks needs to be renovated. It’s a tired looking mall,” she said. “It’s just a question of how much and at what level that you do it.”

Bill de-la Pena said she expected to take a week to read the 2-inch-thick report cover to cover, but is concerned about traffic congestion, unsightly parking structures and the loss of mature oak trees, which along with sycamores are protected by city ordinance.

Councilman Dennis Gillette said the center must modernize to remain competitive, especially considering the development of a $300-million regional mall in neighboring Simi Valley due to open this fall.

“A level of improvement and expansion is absolutely essential to the economic well-being of the city,” Gillette said. “Whether this is too much or not enough I’m not sure, that’s why we’re going through the process.”

Bob Lewis, who helped lead a city advisory committee that reviewed the mall proposal, said Macerich made substantial improvements to the plan.

By removing some 82,000 square feet from the first and second phases, the parking structures will be smaller and one will be positioned closer to the mall, making it less visible from the Ventura Freeway, Lewis said. The developer has agreed to more than the required landscaping and intends to plant 300 oaks to the site.

With more than 1,360 trees already on the property, The Oaks is one of the most verdant malls in Southern California, said Judy Lazar, Lewis’ co-chair. Lewis and Lazar are former Thousand Oaks mayors and planning commissioners.

“If you think of any other regional malls its size, few have as much landscaping. They’re making the effort to make sure that remains,” she said.

But the environmental report said the proposal would require the removal of 51 oaks and five sycamores and the relocation of 38 other protected trees. Considering trees planted, there would be a gain of 249 oaks and 75 sycamores once the construction is complete.

Traffic consultants estimate the expanded mall would generate 14,252 additional vehicle trips daily, though that number is based on the larger original plan.

To ease traffic congestion, the city expects the developer to help pay to expand the intersections of Lynn Road and Hillcrest Drive and Lynn and the Ventura Freeway, on the western edge of the mall.

Macerich has suggested several improvement to enhance the mall’s current vehicle flow, widening exits and entrances, lengthening turn lanes and adjusting traffic signal timing, said Beth Baden, a senior engineer in the city of Thousand Oaks’ traffic division.

The Oaks generated nearly $17.8 million in sales tax revenue last year, of which the city expects to keep $2.5 million, about 10% of the city’s total sales tax receipts. The figure is up $535,000 from the amount received seven years ago and the expansion is expected to increase the mall’s sales tax generation by up to 50%.

Councilman Ed Masry said the expansion won’t get his vote until he’s sure all the environmental concerns are resolved.

“I don’t see a problem with expanding The Oaks mall, as long as we’re not destroying the Thousand Oaks ambience,” he said. “I’m certainly not going to approve anything just based on increased sales taxes.”

Macerich will hold meetings on three consecutive Wednesday evenings to discuss the project and the environmental review, beginning Jan. 19 at the Clarion Palm Garden hotel in Newbury Park.

The public has until Feb. 18 to comment on the draft environmental report.

City staff will respond to those comments in a final version of the report, which is scheduled to be reviewed by the Planning Commission on March 21 and later by the City Council, which will involve additional public hearings.