Planners Back Large Increase in Capacity at Simi Valley Dump

Over the objections of Simi Valley city officials, the Ventura County Planning Commission recommended Thursday that the Simi Valley Landfill be allowed to take up to 13 million cubic yards of additional waste over the next 15 years.

The recommendation, which will go to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for a decision, would renew the dump’s conditional use permit and allow operators to expand the landfill from 233 to 274 acres, said Scott Ellison, a senior planner for the Ventura County Planning Division.

The privately owned and operated landfill is in an unincorporated area on the northwest edge of Simi Valley.

Joe Hinsberg, Simi Valley deputy city manager, testified at the hearing that no more than 9 million cubic feet of additional waste should be permitted at the landfill. The higher level approved by the Planning Commission would create an eyesore for some residents, he said.

More Dumping Space

But Ellison said aesthetic concerns were overshadowed by the need for more dumping space.

“We identified the visual impacts as unavoidable,” he said. “The benefits of greater capacity outweigh the adverse visual impact.”

The permit approved by the Planning Commission on a 4-0 vote allows the refuse pile to rise an average of 70 feet above the existing grade, whereas the level sought by Simi Valley would have limited the height to 25 feet, Hinsberg said.

Ellison said the landfill will probably reach its new capacity five years before the permit expires in 2004. The landfill, which opened in 1970, serves Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks, Ellison said.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the permit on June 27, Ellison said.