SIMI VALLEY : District Project May Have Leasable Space

Simi Valley school board members have told an Orange County architect to proceed with plans for a new three-story adult education complex that would include one floor of leasable office space.

Student cosmetology and food-preparation areas and a bookstore would be housed on the first floor of the Adult Education Facility, while administration, counseling offices and a career center would occupy the second floor of the proposed building at Los Angeles and Blackstock avenues.

The top floor would contain 6,300 square feet of office space that could be built to suit the tenant. The extra office space could someday be used by the district if needed.

The 24,000-square-foot three-story building would cost $3.8 million, while a 17,700-square-foot two-story building would cost $3.1 million. Money for the first and second floors would come from the adult education building reserve fund, and the third-floor costs would be covered by the district’s surplus property funds.

“This is definitely the best way to go on a valuable piece of property like this,” said Mary Beth Wolford, an assistant superintendent.

“If we did not do the maximum build-out, we could never go back and recapture it.”

Under city regulation, the building can be no taller than three stories.

The Blurock Partnership in Newport Beach is designing the plans, which will be brought to the school board in August for consideration. It is anticipated that the building will be completed in the fall of 1993.

The existing adult education facility, northeast of the future complex, will be used as classrooms once the project is completed.