SIMI VALLEY : Kadota Fig Residents Debate Rezoning

Simi Valley residents and property owners jammed a public hearing Monday night to discuss a proposal to develop an area in the heart of the city.

More than 100 people from the Kadota Fig area voiced their concerns about the future of their neighborhood to the City Council, which was considering a proposal to rezone the area for commercial and high-density residential buildings.

“I didn’t move to the area to make money or to change it,” Glen Higgins, a 20-year resident, told the council. “I moved here to raise my family and for safety reasons.”

But Jim Barlow, a 15-year resident, said he has watched his neighborhood deteriorate over the years and would like to see some change.

“I would like to see the City Council create something other than a Tobacco Road,” he said.

City officials in December authorized a survey of residents who live in the area to determine what kinds of development, if any, they prefer.

The area, which encompasses 448 acres, is bounded by Tapo Canyon Road on the west, Alamo Street on the north, Stearns Street on the east and Cochran Street on the south.

Of the 504 property owners who returned surveys, more than 50% said they preferred more parks and single-family houses rather than commercial and industrial development. There are 2,674 residents in the area, city officials said.