Various plans have been kicked around for years to make Thousand Oaks Boulevard more pedestrian-friendly and modern-looking. To date, there has been little follow-through.

Accompanying each plan have been consultants, studies and community forums to hash out exactly what should be done to bring vibrancy to the aging four-mile stretch of small retail shops and restaurants between Moorpark Road and Dusenberg Drive

In the end, the outcome has always been the same: Residents opposed. Suspicions about the process by merchants and property owners doomed the effort.

Now comes yet another proposal. Still in its earliest form, it calls for bringing mixed use to the boulevard's buildings — commercial on the ground floors, apartments on the top floors — which would be varied in design and size, along with changes to parking and more pedestrian crosswalks.

This latest revitalization effort is being shepherded by an association of boulevard business owners (earlier efforts were city-driven).

The group believes teachers, police, firefighters and others will benefit from housing the mixed-use concept will create. And, by improving the boulevard's look and solving its parking woes, it envisions a thriving retail corridor and soaring merchant sales.

The group's vision, however, has already run into some criticism.

There are worries about the height of the proposed multiuse buildings and some anxiousness about possibly increased traffic and accompanying pollution. Others have voiced concerns about lack of community input into the still-emerging revitalization plan.

The Star believes the various camps need to give the plan a chance to percolate a bit, then begin the massaging process. Remember, public involvement — everyone listening to each other — is critical.

In the end, voters will likely have the final up-or-down say on the plan since what survives may be subject to the city's Measure E, which requires residents to approve any change that would increase residential density above what is allowed by existing zoning.

The boulevard has already undergone some low-level upgrades — benches, new lighting, planters, pocket park, etc. And there have been bolder changes, such as The Lakes shopping center and Gardens of the World.

From a purely economic standpoint, turning the boulevard into an attractive destination makes sense for Thousand Oaks. The Star hopes decisions are made openly and residents consider all options with an open mind.