Residents launch referendum effort against downtown project

Residents Take Downtown Fight to the Ballot Box

Less than a month after the Thousand Oaks City Council unanimously approved a sweeping $100 million downtown redevelopment plan, a growing coalition of residents is moving to hand the ultimate decision to voters. The group, Citizens for Responsible Development in Thousand Oaks, formally launched a referendum petition drive in mid-July — a move that could either force the city to scrap the current plan or bring it before every registered voter in the city.

The clock is now running. After the group's principal officer, Jeannette Welling, submitted a referendum petition summary to the city attorney on July 8, the city attorney returned the approved document on July 14, triggering a 30-day window to gather signatures, the Thousand Oaks Acorn reported. To qualify for the ballot, organizers must collect signatures from at least 10 percent of the city's registered voters — an estimated 11,000 names out of roughly 87,000 registered voters in Thousand Oaks, with some buffer built in to account for signatures that may be disqualified on technical grounds.

What the Project Would Build — and What It Would Cost

The Downtown Civic Arts Project is the most ambitious development Thousand Oaks has attempted in a generation. Covering the existing Civic Arts Plaza and a vacant westside property, the plan would integrate housing, a hotel, retail, restaurants, and arts and recreation spaces into a walkable destination aimed at revitalizing the city.

The project includes 28,000 square feet of commercial retail space and a 142-room hotel, along with improved arts and entertainment facilities. The downtown area would also include a renovated city hall, an indoor public market with food vendors and business and arts incubators, and a town square.

The price tag has grown as the project has matured. While the city has broadly described it as a $100 million effort, staff reported the estimate for the city's own investment has climbed to roughly $150 million. The city has already set aside nearly $45 million in reserves, with remaining construction costs to be covered through additional reserve allocations, surplus land sales, grants, leases, a revenue bond, and tax revenue from private development. Staff anticipates private investment in the mixed-use buildings and hotel to be at least $200 million.

The process began in June 2018, when the council adopted the Downtown Core Master Plan. The initial concept included a new city hall, but last July the council opted for a new hotel instead, reasoning it would enable the project to sustain itself economically. The project is planned to be constructed in phases, with the first beginning as early as mid-2027 and the last completing as early as 2034.

The Vote That Sparked the Backlash

On June 23, the City Council voted 5-0 in favor of the redevelopment plan. The vote approved the project's final environmental review and made several modifications, including special allowances for tree removal and building heights. The council reaffirmed that decision with a second reading on July 7.

In addition to certifying the final environmental impact report, the council voted to change the land-use designation to mixed-use and form a downtown area within the Civic Arts Plaza specific plan.

The June 23 meeting drew an overflow crowd and exposed a sharp divide in the community. According to the Acorn, 39 of 123 public speakers opposed the project, while city agenda supplements showed more than 190 written comments against it, compared with just over 60 in support. A pre-meeting petition urging the council to reject the project had gathered more than 1,900 signatures.

The proposal has sparked debate particularly over the height of two planned buildings — a 161-unit apartment complex and a 142-room hotel, both seven stories — which would be built on either side of a new street running between Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Highway 101, west of the Civic Arts Plaza and City Hall.

What Opponents Want Changed

The roughly 20-member core of Citizens for Responsible Development says it is not opposed to the concept of a downtown gathering place — only to the scale of the current design. "We're asking that the development be scaled down to a size that fits with the ambiance here in Thousand Oaks," Welling told the Acorn. The group's specific concerns center on the removal of the existing tree canopy, the two seven-story buildings, and traffic and evacuation safety.

Opponents raised concerns about increased traffic, the ability to evacuate in emergencies, the removal of protected trees, strain on natural resources, and the scale of the proposed buildings. Critics have also argued the project threatens the city's semi-rural character.

The group's stated goal is not to redesign the project themselves but to let residents weigh in directly. If enough signatures are collected, the council would be required either to repeal its approval or to place the measure on a future ballot. The group has set up a website at crdto.org for residents who want to get involved.

City spokesperson Alexandra South told the Acorn that because an active election process is underway, staff can only provide factual information about the project or the process itself — not advocacy or commentary.

What Supporters and the Mayor Say

Proponents of the project argue the downtown is long overdue for a city that has historically lacked the kind of central gathering place found in Ojai, Ventura, and other nearby communities. The city lost an estimated 1,200 residents in a single recent year and around 11,000 over the past decade, including many younger residents priced out of the market — a trend supporters say the downtown project is designed to reverse.

Mayor Mikey Taylor acknowledged the community tension but expressed confidence in the process. "Our job is to keep listening, communicate clearly, and manage the process responsibly," he said, according to the Acorn. He described the project as years in the making and designed to deliver long-term benefits including public gathering spaces, affordable housing, arts support, and "multigenerational third places."

With the council approval secured, the city has already begun turning its focus from planning to construction steps, including issuing requests for qualifications and proposals to identify a partner developer for the mixed-use portion of the project. City officials note that while small adjustments to the plan can be made, any major changes would have to return to the City Council.

What Happens Next

The referendum window closes in roughly 30 days from July 14. Organizers plan to recruit volunteers to circulate petitions under strict legal guidelines. If the group falls short of the approximately 11,000-signature threshold, the council's approval stands and the city moves forward toward developer selection. If the threshold is met, the council must either rescind its approval or send the question to Thousand Oaks voters — putting the future of the most consequential development in the city's recent history directly in residents' hands.

Residents who want to track the project's progress can visit the city's official downtown page at downtowntoaks.org. Those interested in the referendum effort can find more information at crdto.org or email [email protected].