Simi Valley Council Votes to Extend Building Moratorium by 45 Days

The Simi Valley City Council voted Tuesday night to extend for another 45 days a moratorium on certain types of development.

The council voted 5 to 0 to continue its policy of not approving proposals for industrial, commercial or residential projects on hillside lots with slopes of 10% or more. It also voted to suspend approval of any development with more than 100 residential units that would increase traffic on surrounding streets beyond their planned capacity. Exempted are “affordable” housing and senior-citizen housing.

But council members put off a vote on the city planning department’s controversial recommendation to enact a two-year moratorium on such development, saying they wanted more time to study traffic conditions.

City planners were told to produce a report within a month on the effect on traffic of possible development throughout the city.

“I think there’s been an attempt to turn one side of the city against another,” said council member Glen McAdoo, referring to the fierce debate over building limits. “But, at the moment, there appears to be no other way of settling the heated issues at hand.”

The vote came at a special meeting one day after a hearing at the council’s regular meeting lasted so long that a vote was never taken. At the Monday night meeting, the council chamber overflowed with over 250 residents and developers who took turns hissing and cheering speakers during six hours of testimony.

Many residents said they fear that, without a two-year moratorium, development could destroy the city’s rural areas. Simi Valley officials said proposals for 43 projects are pending before the city, ranging from a 22-unit condominium project in the Kadota Fig area to a 1,730-unit housing project on the outskirts of the city.

Developers said they fear a moratorium would halt the progress of their projects, many of which have been approved by the city but need revision.

During its consideration Tuesday of the longer moratorium, the council voted to have city planners draft several possible exemptions, such as for “affordable” and senior-citizens’ housing.

An earlier draft of the moratorium included an exemption for applications merely for remodeling or repair of commercial, industrial and residential buildings.

City officials have said they want a moratorium to give the council time to complete an update of its general plan by March.

“The purpose of this whole thing is to allow us breathing room to make our general plan,” Councilman Greg Stratton told the audience at the council meeting Tuesday. “I suggest if you don’t like the way we’re doing things, you get involved in the general plan.”

The city adopted the first 45-day moratorium on Oct. 21 in response to a petition signed by 4,500 residents. That moratorium expires Thursday.

The moratoriums do not affect projects approved by the city before Oct. 21. Already approved are residential projects totaling more than 7,500 residential units and 12 major industrial projects.

Among the homeowners lobbying strongly for the moratorium were those from the Kadota Fig area, where many residents own horses and other animals. The council action suspended approval of projects of two units or more in that neighborhood, except for low-income and senior-citizens’ housing.