SIMI VALLEY : Kmart Cancels Plan to Build New Store

After two years of planning, and one day before its project was to come before the Simi Valley Planning Commission, K mart withdrew its application to build a second Simi Valley store, city officials said.

In a move that surprised city planners, the discount chain’s Fresno-based architect faxed a letter to the city Tuesday announcing its decision to withdraw the application. The letter gave no explanation for the decision. K mart officials had met twice with neighborhood groups to gather input and work through complaints about the proposed 117,000-square-foot store’s design.

And they had been meeting with city planners on and off for nearly two years trying to design a store that met both K mart’s needs and the city’s vision for the parcel on the southwest corner of Tapo Canyon Road and Alamo Street.

City planners said K mart architects had been unable to design a shopping center that was “campus-like” and encouraged people to walk from neighboring city offices.

“From the beginning, we were recommending that they redesign their project, but they were unable to do so,” said Wolf Ascher, deputy director of current planning. “It is regrettable that they could not see their way clear to become consistent with the city’s plans.”

In March, K mart officials said they were optimistic about plans to build a second store in Simi Valley.

“We feel as though there’s still potential,” project manager Michael Theisen said in an interview. “All of (the city’s) concerns deal with things that we think are workable.”