ROAD FIX-UP SLATED NEAR CONDO COMPLEX.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer

The road to Conejo Creek Condominiums is on its way to being spruced up, just like the complex at the end of the block.

A new street, complete with an illuminated sign, is under construction at the complex, which has been undergoing changes of its own to enhance the once-troubled neighborhood.

``I think it's going to look really nice,'' said William De Cook, management supervisor at the complex.

With the city footing the bill, construction began this month on a $55,000 street-improvement plan. The project calls for installing a median along Avenida de la Plata, just south of Hillcrest Drive.

Most of the median will have landscaping down the middle, with year-round flowers brightening up the area. There will be a left-turn lane from the residential street onto Hillcrest and a turn-around lane on Hillcrest to help commuters enter the residential area. A lighted sign with a small oak tree will showcase the entrance to the complex.

``It gives the passer-by the idea that this is not just a group of homes without an identity,'' said architect Craig J. Lopez, whose firm designed the project. ``Right now it's very cold and visually harsh with all the asphalt.''

The 526-unit complex has been undergoing improvements with the help of the city, police and homeowners to upgrade an area that often brought calls for police and where some units had fallen into disrepair.

The city voted earlier this year to bring a Neighborhood Resource Center to the area, to help prevent crime and provide community services.

The architect said the street project is just another part of keeping the neighborhood nice. The work is expected to be finished in January.

``It's a little here, a little there - anything that can make the place positive,'' said Lopez. ``If it is maintained properly, and the image is positive, then they're going to try to get that positive element to live in the complex and maintain it.''