This is a rebuttal to a letter by Kathy Blackwell published in the Acorn Friday, Aug. 1.

First, I want to recognize and appreciate Ms. Blackwell's interest in matters so essential to our city. Although we may disagree, I do respect her involvement.

For the record, I have lived in Simi Valley for 33 years, and my family has owned and maintained property in the Kadota-Fig Farm Tract for approximately 30 years.

I have watched this city progress and adapt to serve a growing and changing population. After all, this is one of the safest and best cities to live in the entire nation and world.

Although some people enjoy the area as it is, others see the underutilized and undeveloped areas of it as a canvas which can be used to offer the "American Dream" to more people, such as my friend, a police officer and his family, who live in the very tract of houses that Blackwell so despises.

A zone change will not keep those from enjoying their properties as they currently do.

Their properties will have grandfathered in uses that the city will respect, and they will not be subject to the control of a homeowners association.

Let us remember the purpose of this discussion. That each city is mandated by state law to establish a plan to accommodate future population growth and that there are consequences to all residents for not doing so.

Therefore, the Kadota-Fig Tract, with its central and convenient location to shopping and transportation and large undeveloped and underutilized parcels, must be considered to accommodate those requirements and provide housing to our police officers, firefighters, teachers, etc. Marco Todesco Simi Valley