Speak out against plans to build in the greenbelt

According to an article in the Acorn last week, "Simi could reach build-out by next year," and Kim Hawking, the senior planner for the county of Ventura said, "We don't have enough vacant land within the SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources) boundaries to accommodate that growth."

So something doesn't compute. Why is the county's planning commission bending over backwards to facilitate the application of Cornerstone Church to build a monolithic eyesore in the Tierra Rejada greenbelt?

According to another article in the Acorn (March 7), Cornerstone plans to bypass a vote of the people by claiming the Religious Land Use Act, and then will proceed to use 60 to 140 acres of the greenbelt to erect seven buildings, including a 5,000-person amphitheater and a 2,500-space parking lot.

The planning commission has been facilitating the entire process by giving Cornerstone several extensions of time to get their application submitted.

If you love the Tierra Rejada greenbelt and don't want to see it covered with a concrete blight or face a construction mess and traffic jam similar to those you now face on the 118 and the 23, you should be calling the planning department at (805) 654-2488 or (805) 654-2451 before it's too late.

You should also contact Peter Foy, the supervisor for District 4, which includes Simi Valley and Moorpark.

His number is (805) 955-2300; you can also e-mail Foy at Supervisor.Foy@ventura.org

Margie Roblin

Simi Valley