SIMI VALLEY : City OKs Review of Whiteface Plan

The Simi Valley City Council approved the environmental review Monday on a massive housing development that is planned for three canyons north of the city.

Despite concerns by some residents about traffic and pollution that would be generated by the project, the council voted unanimously to approve the environmental documents on the Whiteface development. The proposed project would reach up to the 2,230-foot Whiteface Mountain, which is visible throughout the city.

An environmental review of the project found that it would generate significant levels of traffic and air pollution, but city officials said they were satisfied that the developer will take the necessary steps to design the project to reduce the problems.

Critics said the project, which would be built in three canyons just north of the city limits, would cause irreparable harm to the rural environment.

Los Angeles developers Lowe Development Corp. and Hermes Development International want to build 1,492 houses, three golf courses and 80,000 square feet of commercial space on 2,686 acres.

The project site extends from the north end of Erringer Road on the west to the north end of Tapo Canyon Road on the east and includes Dry, Sand and Tapo canyons. The site is included in Simi Valley’s sphere of influence--land that the city can apply to annex.