2 Cities to Discuss Annexing of Jordan Ranch

Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks officials said Wednesday they plan to meet to discuss which of the two cities is the most logical choice to annex entertainer Bob Hope’s Jordan Ranch, the site of a proposed 750-house subdivision.

The latest twist in the maneuvering over Jordan Ranch raised the prospect that both of eastern Ventura County’s largest cities might be interested in annexing the project, but officials suggested otherwise.

“I think we ought to sit down with Thousand Oaks officials and see if they have any interest” in annexation, Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton said. “If not, that’s fine, we’re going to take a look at it.”

Mike Sedell, Simi Valley assistant city manager, said his office has contacted Thousand Oaks officials about the possibility of forming a special committee, made up of council members from both cities, to discuss the matter.

He said, however, that he did not know when a meeting would take place.

Thousand Oaks City Councilman Frank Schillo said he will propose at a special meeting Monday that the council select two of its members to meet with Simi Valley officials.

“We need to form an agenda among the two cities,” Schillo said. “We need to discuss the pros and cons . . . and discuss who should annex the area.”

Thousand Oaks Mayor Alex Fiore said that while he favors meeting with Simi Valley officials to discuss the Hope proposal, he is adamantly against annexing Jordan Ranch into Thousand Oaks.

“We would be halfway to Los Angeles, and that just doesn’t make any sense to me,” Fiore said. “The city should have meaningful boundaries. It shouldn’t meander all over the place.”

Oak Park, a small, unincorporated community east of Thousand Oaks, separates the city from Jordan Ranch. To annex the development, Thousand Oaks would have to annex Oak Park, which has resisted annexation in the past.

Also, Fiore said Thousand Oaks would receive little revenue by annexing Jordan Ranch or Oak Park because neither includes commercial or industrial developments.

Although the Simi Valley City Council voted Monday to ask county planners if annexation of Hope’s land is possible for the city, Stratton said it might make more sense for Thousand Oaks to annex the property because it would have better access to a housing development planned for Hope’s Jordan Ranch.

The city of Simi Valley is separated from the ranch by a series of hills to the south, which would make it difficult for the city to provide services to the area, considered essential for annexation to occur.

Stanley E. Cohen, Hope’s attorney, said although he is willing to talk with Thousand Oaks officials about annexation, he has no reason to believe they would be open to the proposal because of the Jordan Ranch project.

“Thousand Oaks has made it clear that they are not interested in any development outside their limited area,” Cohen said.

Fred Maas, vice president of Potomac Investment Associates, which has an option to buy Jordan Ranch, agreed with Cohen, but said he was not entirely opposed to the idea of discussing the matter with Thousand Oaks officials.

Meanwhile, Hope has asked Simi Valley to annex 2,308 acres of his Jordan Ranch property south of Simi Valley, and 3,495 acres of his Runkle Ranch property northeast of the city. Hope and Potomac have proposed building 750 residences and a tournament golf course on 1,208 acres of Jordan Ranch.

Hope officials said the Simi Valley annexation proposal was prompted partly by the election in June to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors of slow-growth advocate Maria K. VanderKolk. VanderKolk’s campaign centered on her opposition to the Jordan Ranch development and a controversial land swap proposal involving federal parkland, which would be necessary for the project to go forward.

Under the proposal, the National Park Service would swap 59 acres of parkland needed for an access road to the Jordan Ranch subdivision for 1,100 acres of the ranch. Also, Hope is selling and donating 4,600 acres in the Santa Susana and Santa Monica mountains to park agencies for a below-market $10 million.

Simi Valley officials said they are concerned that if they are unable to annex the Hope property, that Blind Canyon, part of Runkle Ranch, would be sold to the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and be turned into a landfill. Hope’s attorneys have said this would indeed be the case.

“That’s really our concern, that dump, and the impact it will have on us,” Stratton said. “There’s no question that Mr. Hope has made a very attractive offer.”

The Simi Valley City Council has asked the Local Agency Formation Commission, the state-established agency that rules on annexations, to review the proposal and give some direction to the city before it begins the lengthy process of amending its General Plan to include Hope’s property.

Robert L. Braitman, executive director of LAFCO, said the agency is scheduled to meet on Sept. 5, at which time the five-member panel will consider the Simi Valley request.