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Planned Opening Of Hooters Stirs Controversy In Thousand Oaks

THOUSAND OAKS (CBS) — Plans to open a restaurant in Thousand Oaks have some residents upset even though it would bring in some much-needed business.

The reason? The restaurant is Hooters.

Amy Johnson, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9 talked with Susan MacLean who has collected hundreds of signatures to keep the eatery from opening in the Janns Marketplace.

"Well I think it's shared by a lot of homeowners and moms and people in the community that just really think it's gonna be a negative influence," she said.

MacLean lives nearby and says she often brings her three children to the family friendly plaza.

"A lot of our kids play there. There's a water park right across from where it's supposed to be going. We bring our kids there, there's a lot of kid-friendly stores and I just really think it's gonna hurt the mall," MacClean added.

But not everyone agrees.

"We say 'Welcome, Hooters.' We bring in more business to the area. We're very familiar with Hooters, it's a wonderful… they're a great little restaurant," Thousand Oaks resident, Yvonne Brockwell, said.

The city says they've received hundreds of comments about Hooters' application for an extended liquor license. They say the majority oppose it but there are some in favor, and that includes the marketplace.

"We looked into many different tenant options. We really looked into Hooters, kind of to find out what they stand for, what they are all about and we found that they are great for the community. They do a lot of fundraising, a lot of charities, they support the armed forces and we just thought that they would be a perfect, perfect addition," said Jann's Marketplace manager, Anna Lutz.

But MacClean, who is a real estate broker and an attorney, says anyone who lives in Thousand Oaks should be concerned.

"I think it's really going to hurt anyone who is trying to sell a home around here when they're clients are going to see, when potential buyers are going to see that there's a Hooters there," she added.

A public hearing is expected to be held in the near future.

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