Say Good-bye to Chili, Cheese, Hot Dogs, Sausage and Logo With Worried Look

Wienerschnitzel in Thousand Oaks will be demolished if a proposed planning and development project goes forward and gains approval. Then it will be replaced with the construction of a Chick-fil-A restaurant built on the same spot, 3771 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, next to the Do-it Center.

If the project proposal goes through there will be no more double chili cheeseburgers or kraut dogs served at that location. Forget about a 79 cent corn dog on a stick.

Get ready for whole-breast chicken,  fresh fruits, vegetables and lemonade made from squeezing lemons. Chick-fil-A employees will be chopping cabbage each day for the cole slaw and making carrot and raisin salad. The breaded chicken that goes on buns and the waffle fries are cooked in peanut oil.

At dinnertime, 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, there were no cars in the drive-thru at Wienerschnitzel Thousand Oaks. There were seven cars lined up at the McDonald's drive-thru a few yards away on the other side of the Do-it Center parking lot. Well, if residents want delicious hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers or fries with or without chili they better get over there before the Thousand Oaks landmark is rubble.

Lowe's Home Improvement Wants to Build in Newbury Park Where Costco Tried to Go

Seems like not long ago Costco wanted to put a warehouse store at 915 Estates Drive/12 Academy Drive in Newbury Park. Now, it's another retailer that wants to construct a big store on the Newbury Park land owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The T.O. Planning Commission will have a public hearing tonight, Monday, Dec. 13, to decide whether or not to allow Lowe's to build a 153,000 square foot home improvement store and garden center. They also want to put a 40,000 square foot commercial building with a restaurant and bank.

The public hearing will take place beginning at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall in the Scherr Auditorium, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Cronies Sports Grill, 1620 Newbury Road, has also applied to be considered to sell alcoholic beverages. That issue is also on the planning commission agenda for tonight's meeting.

Borders Thousand Oaks Will Be Closing in January 2011

Update 11/28/10: Today we stopped by Borders for their going out of business sale. Most everything was 30% to 40% off and there was quite a bit of merchandise in the store at this point. We got there at 11 a.m. and by the time we left around noon it was PACKED. So stop by ASAP if you're looking for a deal. An employee indicated the store will be open through the holidays/new year and there is no new location planned. 

As we left, we passed by the old, vacant Black Angus and Armstrong Nursery. Black Angus closed in April 2008, following the closing of Hungry Hunter in 2007 and Marie Callender's in 2008. Enough of that. Go get a bargain!

Original Post Date 11/15/10: Just a reminder that the Borders Bookstore at 125 West Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks will be closing sometime next January. This VC Star article from July confirms this with a Borders representative.

To me this comes as no surprise ad this 40,630 sq ft store is over 15,000 sq ft larger than the typical sized Borders and the company has experienced net losses for 5 years straight. Borders' stock price (BGP) hovers near an all-time low at just over $1 per share these days.

There's still hope for Borders with recent changes in management but among the ailing economy, a trend towards online sales and plenty of competition (Amazon.com's market valuation is roughly 900 TIMES Borders'...ouch!). While I would hope that Borders opens up another, smaller location somewhere else in town, I won't hold my breath.

On July 13, 2010, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to relocate three county medical services* an co-locate them into the Borders space. They approved a 15 year lease, starting with 9 months of "free" rent (while $6.5 million of tenant improvements are put in place) and subsequently $1.95/sq ft.

*The county medical services to be relocated to the Borders building will include:

Conejo Valley Family Medical Group (Ambulatory Care), currently located at 223 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Conejo Valley Clinic (Behavioral Health), currently located at 72 Moody Court.

Public Health, Women, Infants and Children program currently located at 80 E. Hillcrest Drive.

Old T.O. Blvd. Building to be Demolished to Make Way for New Retail Structure

Not every property owner on Thousand Oaks Boulevard is waiting for the City Council to approve the proposed Specific Plan that is asking for permission to build 75-foot tall buildings.

The wrecking ball will come to one old structure before the Specific Plan is heard after the new, um, same City Council members are reorganized.

The 4,251-square-foot existing building at 2388 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard built in the 1950s will be destroyed to make room for a proposed new structure with 5,750 square feet of retail space. Both buildings are 1-story. The old building, that once was used for motorcycle sales, is about 15-feet tall. The new structure will average 23-feet in height with two towers--35-feet and 29-feet tall. The planning commission approved the demolition last night.

The city apparently did not learn any lessons from The Lakes parking fiasco where the city added parking spaces to the front of that shopping center to bring more customers to stores. Parking for the new structure will only be in the back and on the side. No news yet on what retailer is expected to occupy the new building after it is built.

City Appeals Planning Commission Vote Against Solar Panels at NP Library

Tonight the City Council will consider overturning a planning commission decision during a public hearing that begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Thousand Oaks Staff recommends the City overturn the planning commission's decision that did not allow parking lot renovations, landscaping modifications, stormwater quality control measures and the construction of a carport with solar power panels on its roof in front of the Newbury Park Library. The public is invited to speak or provide written comments so the council may consider their opinions.

Planning Commission Approves New 35 Foot Tall Auto Mall Sign for Freeway

The Thousand Oaks Planning Commission approved a 35-foot-tall sign with a LED color screen last night. The vote on the freeway sign was 3-2 with Commissioners Daryl Reynolds, Mark Lunn and Barry Fisher in favor of the sign and Tina Grumney and Al Adam voting against it. All the commissioners approved adding 364 new parking spaces, changes in landscaping and additional direction signs on surface streets.

The existing sign is 20 feet tall by 30 feet wide. The new sign will be 35 feet tall by 40 feet wide. The new sign will remain approximately 40 feet from the freeway, near the existing spot.

Homeless May Find Permanent Shelter in Thousand Oaks Near Amgen

In compliance with state law, the Thousand Oaks City Council must zone at least one part of the city for an emergency shelter for homeless people. The council will consider making that permanent shelter inside a 349-acre parcel near Amgen at Rancho Conejo Road and Lawrence Drive in Newbury Park. The council will vote on issues concerning this public hearing and other matters at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9. The city is required by the state to zone for a homeless shelter that can be built without needing a public hearing or any other conditions other than the ones they set on Tuesday. Some of the conditions the city staff is recommending include no camping outside the homeless shelter, no one can be denied lodging because of their inability to pay, a maximum length of stay for those who are homeless is six months and separate sleeping areas for men, women and children. The city is required to create the zoning, but is not expected by the state to build or operate a shelter. The city plans to offer other sites throughout the city where shelters can also be built, but the one in Newbury Park is the only spot proposed that will not need any special considerations or permits after the zoning change. The public hearing will take place in City Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. The public is invited to speak at the hearing or leave written comments.

New Auto Mall Sign, Landscaping, Zoning Coming Before Planning Commission

A 35 foot sign with a large color screen promoting the Auto Mall might be built along the 101 Freeway if it is approved. The big sign, angled parking, landscaping and other signage are included in an $8 million plan for the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall that is going before the Planning Commission at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 8., in the City Council Chambers on the second floor at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard.  Planning Commissioners will also be asked to decide if they will allow four oak trees to be removed, 17 to be transplanted and the protected space surrounding 22 to be encroached upon. The Planning Commission will be considering a mitigated negative declaration. For more information, call city planner Claudia Pedroso at (805) 449-2337. Those attending the public hearing are invited to speak or contribute a written comment on the matter.