Commercial lot will be rezoned for 16 town homes
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

Nearly four years after it was first proposed, a project to construct town homes on the corner of Stow Street and Los Angeles Avenue was approved by the Simi Valley City Council on Monday.

The project, which calls for the construction of 16 town homes on a 1.35-acre site at 5496 Los Angeles Ave., will include three threebedroom units reserved for affordable housing.

Approval of the project included a General Plan amendment allowing for the zoning of the property to be changed from commercial office to high-density residential.

"I hate to give up any kind of commercial property," said Councilmember Steve Sojka. "But because it's surrounded by residential, I can see the benefits of building it. It's got to be compatible and it's got to make sense."

Currently, the site consists of two vacant lots, one surrounded by single-family and multifamily residences, the other zoned for high-density residential units. The site once contained a commercial building, but it was demolished in 1991 after being left vacant for many years.

In January 2004, the City Council voted 4-1 to allow developer Mehdi Humkar to proceed with his application for the town home project.

Councilmember Barbra Williamson, who did not approve of the project's highdensity aspect and cited the lack of an updated General Plan, was the sole dissenter in 2004. She was not present at Monday night's meeting to vote on the project.

Councilmember Michelle Foster said she favors the density level because of the surrounding land uses.

"I agree that we should never take zoning changes lightly, but this is so logical," Foster said. "It makes sense to have a density like this over there. That property sat there in a mess for a long time."

The completed project will consist of four two-story buildings, each with four individual units containing a private patio area and an attached two-car garage. Each building will have a Mediterranean architectural style with a distinct color scheme.

"I think this is a great project," said Councilmember Glen Becerra. "It's taking basically what was left over of that area and making it compatible with the existing neighborhood. I think this is compatible with where the General Plan update is going to take us."