Street Redesign Draft OKd by Council

The City Council has accepted the final draft of a concept plan for Agoura Village, a redesign of a portion of Agoura Road.

The redesign presented Wednesday night by a local planning and design firm also advised the council to begin work on finding financing for the streetscape plan.

The plan, outlined in a report by an Envicom Corp. representative, would be used primarily as a guideline for future development. It would create a rural European village atmosphere for shopping and entertainment and serve as a pseudo-downtown for the city.

The village plan, which encompasses the Agoura Road corridor, between Kanan and Cornell roads, would be anchored by the existing Mann Theater complex and include Whizin Center and possibly the proposed Creekside Center project.

Although council members said they were excited by the possibilities of the concept, existing businesses warned them they would not go quietly if the city fails to match ideas envisioned in the plan.

In this cash-strapped city, officials said they will have to be creative in finding funding, considering the possibility of offering incentives to bring in businesses and fostering public and private partnerships.

Elwood C. Tescher, vice president of Envicom, encouraged the council to act, telling members, “While you may hear people who are skeptical, it doesn’t mean you should be necessarily hindered by that. People in other cities heard that there was no market for [Old Town] Pasadena.”

The council also gave preliminary approval to an amendment to the area’s zoning ordinance that would direct future building and design. Final approval is expected at a meeting in early July.