THOUSAND OAKS : Council OKs Gas Station Renovations

The Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday approved proposed renovations--including a drive-through carwash--to a Texaco service station at an intersection that has been designated a “scenic gateway.”

City planners had strongly urged the council to reject Texaco’s plans to expand an existing snack shop and convert a service bay into an automatic carwash at the corner of Moorpark Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Because the intersection is so well-trafficked, city planners had raised concerns that the renovations would increase congestion and create a highly visible eyesore.

But representatives of Texaco Refining and Marketing Inc. promised to install decorative doors that would close automatically after each car exited the drive-through wash. The station owner also agreed to provide additional landscaping in a three-foot-high brick and stucco wall around his station.