COUNCIL ENDORSES ENTERTAINMENT PLAZA : AGOURA HILLS SEEKS CORRIDOR DESIGNER.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Aiming to create a ``front door'' for the city of Agoura Hills, council members want to hire consultants to design a corridor of boutiques, restaurants and movie theaters where residents will want to stroll and enjoy their free time.

``We want the corridor to be a comfortable strolling distance,'' Councilwoman Louise Rishoff said. ``If they're visiting any restaurant, store or theater, we want them to be able to stay out of their car. We want it to be upscale - something that raises the quality of life in the city.''

Mayor Fran Pavley has been talking about an entertainment corridor for more than a year, but budget restrictions delayed development. In her mayoral address last month, Pavley said the corridor would be one of her priorities in the coming year.

On Wednesday, the council approved spending $20,000 on a design for the corridor at Agoura and Kanan roads. Council members have not decided how far the corridor would extend down either direction on Agoura Road.

The Creekside Center project, a cluster of restaurants with a Mann theater, is already working its way through the planning process and most likely will anchor the southwest corner, Rishoff said.

Creekside Center, being developed by property owner Vance Moran, will be up for council approval early next year. If the process goes smoothly, Rishoff said, the complex could be open by fall.

The Kanan family, which owns land on the northwest corner, has also expressed interest in developing the parcel.

``We asked ourselves, `What would be a long-term, beneficial, sustainable economic area for our city?' '' Councilman Ed Corridori said. ``We don't have a big, huge open lot like ones where the (Westlake Village) Costco was built. We just have small parcels and hillsides. We need a different kind of configuration.''

The idea behind an entertainment corridor plan is to set guidelines for developers, making sure that the area has an architectural theme even as it crosses over to other developments.

``What we need is someone who can work with our staff to tie the whole area together,'' Rishoff said. ``We want to look at architectural style, pedestrian linkage. We need someone with design capabilities to help us with that. It's a vision we need to get on paper.''

Incentive also came from the newly opened The Promenade at Westlake in Thousand Oaks.

Rishoff said the mall has given the Conejo Valley an example of what can be brought to the area to attract shoppers and businesses.

``The Promenade has become everyone's standard,'' Rishoff said. ``They have come up with a very good mix of businesses, where people come not to just stop, but to browse. When people wonder what to do in the evening, they can decide on the spot because they'll have movies and restaurants.''