Higher density may be a necessary evil
Rethinking Simi Valley
By Carissa Marsh cmarsh@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers NOT WILLING TO CHANGE- The Leeds Street area, with its large lots and rural setting, was one of the neighborhoods considered by the General Plan update staff as it tried to identify parts of the city that could be rezoned for higher-density housing. The City Council shot down the idea after residents from the neighborhood expressed opposition.

Part two of a seven-part series

The need for housing

With Simi reaching nearcomplete buildout, it has become increasingly important for the city to find land for additional housing to accommodate its growing population. Many of the areas identified in the General Plan update were chosen as potential areas for change because of the opportunity they provide the city for creating higher-density and multifamily homes.

Due to the state's Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), a report written by the Southern California Association of Governments to plan out housing needs within cities, Simi officials continue to feel pressure to identify property for additonal housing.

"Housing is one of the goals (of the General Plan update)," said Peter Lyons, director of environmental services for the city. "It is a state-mandated goal that we have to provide for opportunities, i.e. areas that are zoned for different densities."

Rob Bruce, the city's deputy director of housing and special projects, said the General Plan update is coming at a good time, as it corresponds with the city's housing element update, done every five years, and the new housing needs numbers, updated every seven years.

According to the statemandated housing report, Simi must plan for an additional 3,300 units for the entire city, Bruce said.

But the General Plan update is not just about increasing housing potential, Lyons said. It is also to balance the city's jobshousing ratio and providing appropriate traffic infrastructure to support Simi's growth.

For these reasons, the city has had to consider reusing land in industrial sites, commercial centers and even older neighborhoods, like Leeds Street, the Kadota-Fig neighborhood and the Patricia Avenue-Heywood Street area.

The neighborhoods are similar to some degree. The homes sit on large lots, are permitted for animals and maintain a semirural character.

The areas under study include primarily single-family homes.

The Patricia Avenue area differs slightly as its historical character has become more urbanized over the years.

Still, all were targeted in the General Plan update as places that could benefit from rezoning as high-density or multi-family residential.

Bruce said that the state housing report requires the city to plan for all income categories, which is why these sites were marked as having high or very high density potential.

"It's more economically feasible to build affordable housing at higher densities," he said.

While the City Council and Planning Commission supported further study of the KadotaFig area, the panel disagreed with parts of the landuse alternatives, which suggested putting highdensity residential along Alamo Street and implementing master planned mixed-density residential in the rest of the area.

Mayor Paul Miller said it's a challenge to add housing while keeping the character of the neighborhoods that may be suited for higherdensity development.

"A lot of these properties have horses on them and other animals and once we begin whittling away at that we basically change the character of our city," Miller said. "We may have RHNA numbers to worry about but on the other hand, I think we need to keep part of that rural feel."

But resident Marco Todesco favored increasing density.

"It's a big piece of parcel, there is going to be increased demand from people wanting to live in the city and I think that is one place to focus on," he told the joint panel.

Those in favor of change on Leeds Street, however, were few, and due to the support of outspoken residents, the area was abandoned for further study.

Leeds Street homeoners were glad to hear the protection of the neighborhood's charm helped staunch additional development.

"We want to preserve the character of that neighborhood forever," resident Mike Beautz said.

And the audience erupted in applause when Miller added, "sometimes it's best for government just to leave people alone."

The council and commission looked more favorably upon the proposed changes for the Patricia Avenue-Heywood Street neighborhood, which would include the development of a multi-family residential community with high to very high densities.

Councilmember Steve Sojka said this kind of development is appropriate for the area, but called for the use of a master plan for a more cohesive development.

"It's a hodge podge of development," Sojka said of the current state of Patricia Avenue. "We got all kinds of things going on there and we really need to change the focus of what we are trying to do for the entire area."

Bruce said there is a lot of studying left to do on the areas and that it is up to the community to determine where it is comfortable putting additional density. But, the bottom line is the economy.

"Five years ago, we couldn't hardly move fast enough to keep up with the pace of residential development," he said. "That has now changed. We may plan for these residential units but if the economy doesn't change, nothing's going to be built."

To view the full staff report and find more information on the General Plan update, visit generalplan.simivalley.org.

The city's 13 conceptual land-use-alternative areas

• Tapo Street Overlay Area
• Los Angeles Avenue Overlay
Area
• Kadota-Fig Neighborhood
• Leeds Street Neighborhood
• Patricia Avenue Neighborhood
• West End Industrial Specific Plan
• Katherine Road Connection

• Easy Street Industrial Area
• Old Town Area
• Parker Ranch Expansion
• Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library Improvement Area
• Los Angeles Avenue Industrial
Metrolink
• Simi Valley Hospital Area