PROMENADE DEVELOPER TO SHOW APPRECIATION : PARTY PLANNED TO CELEBRATE OPENING.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

Rick Caruso is throwing a private little party for the people who helped him realize his dream of completing The Promenade at Westlake shopping center. A thousand or so people are on the invitation list.

To celebrate the opening of the 210,000-square-foot shopping center at Thousand Oaks and Westlake boulevards, the Santa Monica-based developer is holding a big, invitation-only extravaganza replete with celebrity guests, state and local government officials, an orchestra, fireworks - you name it.

Today's guest list is expected to include Lt. Gov. Gray Davis and entertainer Steve Allen, who will serve as master of ceremonies.

``We always have a grand opening, but what's happening at The Promenade is kind of extraordinary because of the support from the community,'' said Caruso, whose company, Caruso Affiliated Holdings Inc., also opened The Village at Moorpark center.

``There's no question we've gone a little crazy with it, but I wanted to do it because it's had a lot of attention,'' he said.

The party will kick off nearly a week of other events celebrating the center's opening - and these will be open to the public, Caruso said.

Unlike many other developments in the city, The Promenade at Westlake garnered almost immediate support from residents and from frequently fickle city officials who more often than not nix developments such as this.

Residents and officials said the center adheres to the city's stringent standards and, unlike many other developments, has been built in an area long earmarked for just such a project.

In addition, area residents lauded Caruso for bringing them into the project early on, taking their input at nearly every step of the way.

The $35 million center - built at one of the city's designated ``gateways'' carrying much tougher design and planning standards - will contain an eight-screen Mann theater, a Barnes & Noble bookstore, Bristol Farms grocery store, restaurants and other retailers.

Nearly all 30 stores will be open Thursday, Caruso said. The only one which will not be ready is Club Disney, which is expected to open in February, he said.

Caruso said he had a shindig to celebrate The Village at Moorpark's opening late last year, and about 400 people turned up for the grand opening of The Marketplace in Encino on Ventura Boulevard, another Caruso project, about two years ago.

Caruso is paying for the entire affair, which includes a sit-down dinner and the unveiling of a sculpture in the central fountain, which in turn features a water show synchronized to the chiming every 15 minutes of bells in the center's bell tower.

``We're spending a lot of money, but it's no fun having a party and telling how much it costs - it's not in good taste,'' Caruso said.

Entertainment for the public, to be sponsored by the mall and center merchants, will include jugglers, live bands, cooking demonstrations and other events. This entertainment runs from Thursday through Sunday.