SIMI VALLEY : Drive Launched to Fight Development

A group of Simi Valley residents has launched a petition drive to oppose a commercial and residential development that the school district and two developers want to build on surplus school property.

Frank Cannata, who lives near the school property, which is next to the Civic Center, said last week that he and six other residents are collecting signatures to prevent the development.

Cannata said residents are concerned that the project will generate a significant amount of noise and traffic and cause property values of neighborhood homes to drop.

“I have not run across anyone who is in favor it,” Cannata said. “This is a quiet area, and we want to see it stay that way.”

Simi Valley Unified School District officials and two private developers unveiled plans last month to jointly develop a vacant 36-acre school site at the corner of Tapo Canyon Road and Alamo Street. The development would include a commercial shopping center on 26 acres and a combination of single-family houses and apartments on the remaining 10 acres. The project would generate millions of dollars in revenue for the district, officials said.

The school property is zoned for single-family houses only, but the district is requesting a zoning change. The council is scheduled to consider the proposal at its April 27 meeting.

Cannata said residents of the neighborhood would prefer to see only single-family houses built on the site. He said there is too much vacant retail space in the city already.

Resident Debbie Sandland, who does not live near the site, said she also plans to gather signatures, because the development proposal affects the entire community. She said the land originally was intended for a third high school site, and although it may not be needed now, it will be in the future.

School officials said that, because student enrollment has stabilized, a new high school won’t be needed for at least 10 years. The district also has other surplus properties, officials said.

A public meeting about the development proposal is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Township Elementary School.