Kadota Fig Project Clears Last Hurdle : Development: Simi Valley council’s decision to pay $41,000 for curbs, gutters and sidewalks paves way for 22 homes for needy families.

A long-awaited Simi Valley project that would house 22 needy families in the city’s Kadota Fig neighborhood has cleared its last major hurdle.

The Simi Valley City Council agreed late Monday to pay up to $41,000 for curbs, gutters and sidewalks near the Apricot Ranch project after a spokesman for the Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. said construction could be stalled indefinitely if the developer was required to pay for the improvements.

Ralph Lippman, Cabrillo’s project manager, said construction costs would eat up most of the project’s $2.1 million in government grants and loans, leaving little for improvements to nearby streets.

“This is an extremely tight project,” Lippman told the council. “The money is just not there to build these off-site improvements.”

In Kadota Fig, an east city neighborhood split by the Simi Valley Freeway, gutters and curbs are intentionally rare. Longtime residents requested that the city not make such improvements more than a decade ago, so that the neighborhood could retain its rural character.

But a city study found that gutters and sidewalks are necessary for Apricot Ranch because the project would increase the risk of flooding and pedestrian and auto traffic along the quiet, residential street.

Because the required changes are not part of the project and because the houses are priced for low-income residents, the council unanimously decided the city should foot the bill.

“We’ve got a very good project here and I don’t want to get hung up on $41,000 in curbs and gutters,” Mayor Greg Stratton said.

Councilwoman Barbara Williamson agreed:

“I think there is a limit to what you can expect from a developer,” she said. “I think it’s unfair to make the builder put that in, especially when they are trying to bring in some housing for the needy.”

The project is designed for families who earn less than 75% of the county median income, so a family of four earning no more than $39,900 would qualify. The houses are expected to be sold for $135,000 to $140,000. The average price of a house in Simi Valley is about $200,000.

The city in 1992 agreed to lend Cabrillo about $680,000 to buy the 1.6-acre project site. Cabrillo had hoped to have the houses built by May, 1993, but delays in funding and planning stalled the project.

Cabrillo, the county’s largest builder of housing for the poor, has built dwellings for low-income families in Ojai, Santa Paula, Ventura, Camarillo, Oxnard and Moorpark.

Lippman said he expects to break ground in September and have the houses completed by next summer.

The 11 Apricot Ranch structures are made up of 22 three-bedroom duplex unit with fenced patios, yards and two-car garages.

Councilwoman Judy Mikels said she is pleased that the project is finally being built.

“I think we’re all really happy to see this happening,” Mikels said. “I think it’s a project we’ll all be proud of.”