A compromise was finally reached this past week in a more than twoyear heated debate between the developer of an assisted-living facility for seniors and its potential neighbors- but not without a few final fireworks.

The City Council voted 4-0 Monday in favor of a revised application by Sunrise Senior Living Inc. to construct a 94bed facility at 136 Tierra Rejada Road in western Simi Valley. Though she took part in the matter's two previous public hearings- one in September and the other in June- Councilmember Michelle Foster declared a conflict of interest this time around, saying she had worked with the applicant and recusing herself from the vote.

Responding to a request made by the City Council on Sept. 25 that they go back and work more closely with residents of the neighboring Southcrest community to reach a resolution, representatives from Sunrise returned this past Monday with a revised site plan that essentially quashed all of the neighbors' concerns, according to Southcrest HOA president Wayne Snyder.

The big difference: Sunrise's decision to shift the facility's entrance from the intersection of Village Parkway and Southcrest Place to Tierra Rejada Road, essentially eliminating any traffic impact on the neighborhood's 25 homes- one of the HOA's chief concerns. In all, the final application for the facility includes 145 conditions.

"The placement of the entrance was the primary reason why everyone objected," Snyder said. "When Sunrise changed the plan and put it onto Tierra Rejada, that was pretty much the (dealbreaker) right there."

Coincidentally, Monday's public hearing and subsequent vote might have gone off without a hitch if not for another change to the application that some residents didn't welcome nearly as much- the addition of .31-acre single-family residential lot in the corner of the property closest to the Southcrest community- which city staff said was added to the plan six weeks earlier.

According to the new conditions, the owners of the home built on that lot would be family members of the Seatons, the current landowners, who have been at odds with some of their neighbors in Southcrest for years, Snyder said. Gary and Joann Seaton live on Tierra Rejada Road, just up the hill from Southcrest.

"There has certainly been some strife between the Seatons and several of the homeowners. There are various causes for that happening," said Snyder, who mentioned that the Seatons had constructed an avocado farm on their property about three years earlier.

Hearing that the Seatons planned to build a home with a Southcrest address, some residents wanted it conditioned in the application that they must join the HOA and pay its monthly fee of $63; this despite the fact that the revised application already included restrictions that mirrored the association's CC&Rs.

One of those residents was Jay Josephson, a one-time staunch opponent of Sunrise who said Monday that the applicant had "done a magnificent job in redesigning the project," but that he did not appreciate the addition of the single-family home.

"We have no issue with the Sunrise development now. Now it is something we can all live with," Josephson said. "But now with the addition of the singlefamily home it brings into the scenario some real issues we have with the Seatons and the development of that property.

"If we have to live with a single-family residence there, as far as the majority of us feel, it really needs to be part of our (HOA)," Josephson added.

After discovering that they could not vote for the Sunrise facility without also voting for the singlefamily lot, council members soon found themselves at an impasse, splitting 22 on the matter of whether or not the Seatons should have to join the Southcrest HOA: Glen Becerra and Barbra Williamson said yes; Steve Sojka and Mayor Paul Miller said no.

It was this debate that lead to the only tense moment in what was otherwise a well-mannered public hearing.

Given the chance to comment, Sojka said he didn't feel comfortable forcing the Seatons to join an HOA, holding up letters from Southcrest residents to make his point.

"I don't think they should have to be allowed in your HOA. From these letters, my opinion is this is very, very personal between you and the Seatons," Sojka said. "I've watched this for two years go down, and there's something that went where you guys don't like each other basically. So for them to go into the HOA, it'd probably be tough for them to put a pool in."

These comments led to an outburst from the crowd, with Josephson yelling out to Sojka, "Why are you looking right at me?"

Becerra came to Sojka's defense, saying to the residents, "You've had your chance to speak."

"I don't want to subject the Seatons to this type of behavior. I don't think it's fair," Sojka continued. "I see that they would abuse that HOA authority."

Just when it looked like things might not go forward, Gary Seaton ended the debate by approaching the dias and saying that he would agree to join the HOA.

Applause erupted from residents in the audience upon final approval of the project, while Seaton and the Sunrise staff settled for handshakes and pats on the back.

As proposed, the facility would be for seniors who need help with dressing, taking medications and other tasks, and those with Alzheimer's disease. Hospice services would be available.