Re: April 14 article, "Planners OK angled parking for The Lakes in T.O."

In this, the worst economic downturn in decades, Rick Caruso and company want Thousand Oaks to pick up the tab of nearly a half million dollars to add 10, count 'em, 10 additional parking places on Thousand Oaks Boulevard? It's bad enough the city fronted $96,500 to the Concord Group for a feasibility study. The possibility that the City Council might actually approve an additional $400,000 to reconfigure sidewalks, street and lawn in front of The Lakes in order to add a mere 10 new parking slots is truly a mind-blower. That would be an expenditure of nearly a half million dollars for 10 parking places? Has everyone gone mad?

The disruption of traffic for the duration of the alteration would be bad enough, but the cost, to be borne by the city (citizens) so that Mr. Caruso might pick up a few more customers at his attractive location seems to place the burden on the city, and not where it belongs. I frequent Claim Jumper and often stroll through the mall post meal and wonder how the group of chic boutiques, which sell overpriced merchandise, manage to stay afloat. It seems to me the collection of shops doesn't reflect the tastes or wallets of the community. That would indicate an owner/manager's problem, not the city of Thousand Oaks.

Perhaps if Mr. Caruso strongly believes that adding 10 new parking slots will really attract enough new customers to warrant such a pricey expenditure, he would consider footing the bill for the revision. After all, it is he who would benefit most.

~Sylvia Lewis Gunning,
Thousand Oaks