SIMI VALLEY : Official Vows to Push Developer Fees

A Simi Valley park official vowed Thursday to pursue a proposal to raise developer fees by as much as 343%, despite a recommendation from the Planning Commission that the increase be limited to 20%.

Don Hunt, planning manager of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, said he will appeal the decision made Wednesday night by the commission. The panel recommended to the City Council that fees be increased by 20% each year for the next five years, city planning officials said.

The commission rejected higher fees requested by park officials, saying that the district failed to document the need for a massive increase. The fees are used to buy and develop neighborhood parks. If the City Council adopts the commission’s recommendation, the park district would receive less money for new parks.

A hearing before the City Council has not yet been scheduled.

Under the commission’s recommendation, developers would pay $1,031 for each dwelling built instead of $2,540 as requested by the park district.

The park district manages about 775 acres of neighborhood and community parks and needs about $35 million to develop land into new parks as the city grows, Hunt said.

The park district’s goal is to build a five-acre park for every 1,000 people. The park acquisition fees have not increased since they were adopted in 1980.