Lifelong Simi resident and Kadota-Fig denizen Renee Fraser lives in a home that has been in her family for nearly 50 years, since before the city was incorporated.

In that time, three generations have called the Adam Road residence home, and as a result every inch of her property holds special memories—from making mud pies in the sandbox with her grandfather to watching her father mow the St. Augustine lawn.

She cherishes the rural atmosphere of her neighborhood and her ability to keep livestock like horses, goats and chickens. She and her husband, Mike, don’t want to live anywhere else.

But an update to the city’s General Plan, they fear, could wipe away the historical character of the neighborhood.

“They’re proposing to turn my childhood home into Patricia,” Fraser said, referring to a street in Simi Valley that has been built up with apartments and is subject to crime and traffic. “I’m not enthusiastic about these changes, about the (potential) crime, the traffic. . . . We fear the effects on our animal keeping.”

With these concerns in mind, Fraser—along with about 35 other residents—attended a recent General Plan Update Community Workshop to hear what land-use changes are proposed in areas across the city and to give her input.

Since early 2007, the city has been working on an update to its General Plan, which will guide future growth and development in Simi Valley for years to come. The document hasn’t been updated in 20 years.

Last summer, the City Council directed a citizen advisory committee and city staff to evaluate the impacts associated with each area being considered for rezoning.

Most of the areas are designated commercial or industrial and were selected because they are vacant, underutilized or performing poorly. Others were chosen because of the opportunity they offer the city to create higherdensity and multifamily homes that would fulfill statemandated housing requirements.

“The city has to face the facts that we have to change in some ways,” said Peter Lyons, director of environmental services, at the beginning of the July 29 meeting.

While land-use alternatives are proposed for 13 areas in the city, potential changes in Kadota-Fig drew the most criticism.

The area in central Simi sits between Tapo Canyon Road and Stearns Street and is bounded to the north by Alamo Street and to the south by Cochran Street. The neighborhood features detached singlefamily homes on large lots.

Kadota-Fig is currently zoned residential very low to moderate, with smaller areas of higher density and general commercial. Highdensity, multifamily residential is proposed along Alamo and Stearns streets. This zoning would allow for two to threestory buildings accommodating up to 18 dwelling units per acre, similar to the Sycamore Shade or Paseo Del Sol developments.

Master-planned mixed-density residential is also proposed, mostly along Cochran Street. This zoning would allow for single and multifamily homes built at two to three stories, with an average density of 15 dwelling units per acre.

During the workshop, residents were able to stick Post-it notes with comments onto maps of each of the 13 areas. The Kadota-Fig map was covered with about 50 notes, all opposing change.

Tim Weimer, an Adam Road resident, wrote that he moved his family to the area because he wanted to live in an “undeveloped area.”

“We planned to raise our family and retire in this house,” he wrote. “This type of development would force us to leave the area. I do not approve.”

Others said the lack of sidewalks and gutters is a positive, not a negative, and that they don’t want their neighborhood to look like the San Fernando Valley.

In July 2008, outspoken Leeds Street residents who opposed any change to their rural neighborhood won a victory when the City Council decided to take Leeds Street off the table. That action gives Fraser hope that she and her neighbors can also win the fight to keep Kadota-Fig as is.

“There is no other comparable neighborhood with the history and charm of mine,” she said. “It’s safe. It’s private. It’s got mature, beautiful trees.”

Information gathered during the workshop will be presented at a Sept. 22 joint meeting of the planning commission and City Council. It is anticipated that the joint panel will select a preferred landuse plan at that public hearing.

Fraser has set up an online group dedicated to fighting the proposed rezoning in the Kadota-Fig neighborhood: groups.yahoo.com/ group/norezoningKadotaFig.

For more information on the General Plan Update, visit generalplan.simivalley.org.

In a Nutshell

As part of the ongoing process to update the Simi Valley General Plan, the city is proposing land-use changes in 13 different areas, including the KadotaFig neighborhood. Residents there say they’re staunchly against any plans to increase density in the semirural area, which has large lots and allows for the keeping of some farm animals.