Planning commission denies permit for self-storage facility
Though exempt from moratorium, business didn't 'fit,' board chair says
By Kyle Jorrey kjorrey@theacorn.com

No new self-storage businesses will be opening in Simi Valley any time soon after the planning commission voted 4-1 last Wednesday to deny a conditional use permit to construct such a facility at 525 E. Los Angeles Ave.

Commissioner Keith Mashburn was the lone "yes" vote.

The project's applicant, Dr. Fariboz "Mike" Bardi, recently fought for and earned an exemption from the city's new moratorium on selfstorage applications- passed Jan. 8- only to be denied a CUP in his second of two hearings with the commission. The first hearing was continued after discussion ran too long. Bardi has until Monday to file an appeal with the City Council.

All self-storage facilities built within the city regardless of location must obtain a CUP, according to city planner Peter Lyons, a requirement that allows the planning commission more latitude when exercising its powers of approval and disapproval.

In this case, four out of five commissioners agreed that Bardi's proposed 70,000squarefoot storage facility, although aesthetically and architecturally sound, wasn't the right fit for the 1.93-acre site.

"The four commissioners truly felt as if the land use was not appropriate there at this location," said Lyons, whose job it is to work closely with the board.

The location on Los Angeles Avenue, the city planner said, falls within one of Simi's redevelopment zones, making the project subject to further scrutiny based on expectations for the area set forth by the city's Redevelopment Agency, whose goal is to improve the vitality of once-blighted areas of town.

When judged under those criteria, said Planning Commission Chair Tim Shannon, a self-storage facility simply didn't hold water.

"The overlay is very specific as far as what we want in that area," Shannon said. "It specifically talks about pedestrianoriented development; it wants to promote uses that enhance the vitality of an area. When you look at the use proposed by this applicant as it relates to that special overlay district, it really didn't fit."

Shannon admitted he felt a great deal of sympathy for Dr. Bardi, who informed the commission as he had the City Council two months ago that he'd already spent $60,000 in paperwork related to his CUP application, money he cannot now recoup even though his application has been denied.

"I felt bad for the guy because he had worked so long with the city on this, but I also had to think of the residents because that's what my job on the commission is," said Shannon, who called the proposed storage facility "beautiful," one that "would have been good in a different location in a different area."

Lyons said the planning commission's final decision- though made independently- reflects the City Council's land-use expectations for Simi's remaining empty lots.

"The city doesn't do a lot of moratoriums . . . but they felt strongly that something had to be done to ensure the few remaining properties in Simi that have a lot of frontage and visibility are preserved for uses that we think will improve those areas," Lyons said. "Uses that will add jobs, add pedestrians, add synergy to the area. We want to make these parts of town a little more interjected and aesthetically pleasing."

Lyons added that he thought the city needed to look into reworking its standards for selfstorage facilities and possibly allow them only on interior streets and not on major thoroughfares.