IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers JUST PASSING THROUGH—An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train pulls into the Simi Valley station Wednesday. General Plan staff are excited about the boost a second train stop along L.A. Avenue might bring. Final part of a seven-part series

Is Simi Valley properly utilizing the area around the city's sole Metrolink stop? And what if Simi had a second train station?

City officials and members of the public are pondering these questions as they examine Los Angeles Avenue—the most heavily traveled east-west roadway in Simi—as part of the General Plan update.

City officials have big ideas when it comes to bulking up the use of the major city thoroughfare, but not everyone agrees on what should change and what should remain along the artery.

One popular idea for L.A. Avenue is to create what staff is calling a "transit-oriented village," or a cluster of multifamily residential, commercial and office space around the train station.

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers BLANK INTERIORS—Although Mountaingate Plaza was once a thriving community center, with an indoor mall and large anchor stores, "For Lease" signs now hang in many vacant shops. Currently, there is only one station in Simi, but the city is looking at the possibility of a second stop near its historic downtown.

The idea is to create an environment that is more friendly to foot traffic, giving residents easy access to their jobs, entertainment and other services.

The design, a staff report said, would boost the local economy by providing new employment opportunities and stimulating retail activity.

While the City Council and planning commission decided at a July 14 meeting to further study the areas along L.A. Avenue, not everyone was on board with all the proposed changes, especially when it comes to high-density housing.

Simi's only Metrolink station is located on the east end of L.A. Avenue, between Tapo and Stearns streets. Just west of the station, the city is looking at providing additional business park uses on either side of L.A. Avenue between Ralston Avenue and Tapo Street.

Surrounding the station, and on properties adjacent to it, the city is considering rezoning the land for multistory mixeduse, with commercial on the ground floor and residential above.

The station's parking lot would be moved and replaced by a parking structure to allow for mixed-use development right next to the railroad line.

Councilmember Glen Becerra agreed with the General Plan Advisory Committee that the lots near Dennert Garage are not appropriate for mixed use.

"There's no easy access," he said at the July 14 meeting. "If it was accessible, it might be a nice expansion of the Metrolink parking, which is filling up on a daily basis. But I think part of (the problem) is that access to that property is extremely difficult."

Commissioner Jim Dantona, however, saw the pluses of having increased-density housing around a transit station, if planning issues could be worked out.

"You're a hop, skip and a jump from the transit station . . . and as gas continues to rise, traffic becomes more and more, these are sites we need to consider—longterm planning-wise—keeping residential near the transit stop," Dantona said. "Providing residential close to a transit stop increases our transit use and gets away from our auto use."

On the other end of the city, the railroad continues but there is no train stop. The area the city is considering in its General Plan update mostly includes retail commercial sites like Mountain Gate Plaza and Simi Valley Plaza.

Proposed land use changes focus on adding more mixed-use commercial/office/residential along First Street and Los Angeles Avenue.

Becerra said Mountain Gate is in need of a major overhaul and would benefit from rezoning.

"Personally, I would like to see Mountain Gate bulldozed and started from scratch," he said. "It's been poorly retrofitted, its design is bad, and really we need to do something down there to encourage the owners to redevelop that whole site."

However, the council and the commission agreed that putting mixeduse in the area is dependent upon the potential for a second train station.

"I think (the area) would work for something a little more intense if in fact we could get people out of their cars to lessen the traffic impact and get a more pedestrianoriented lifestyle," Becerra said.

Councilmember Barbra Williamson didn't think the city should consider putting residential near the auto district on First Street.

"I don't have a problem with mixed-use commercial/office, but I would have a problem with residential there," she said.

Despite these issues, city officials agreed that a second station would be the lynchpin for revitalization efforts in that area.

And the fact that the Metrolink parking lot is often full shows there is a need for another stop, Dantona said.

"Any chance we have to make it easier for people to use transit, I think it's a great idea," he said.

To view the full staff report and find more information on the General Plan Update, go online to generalplan.simivalley.org.