SIMI VALLEY : City to Debate New Ice Rink Proposal

With an Olympic-sized ice rink scheduled to open in Simi Valley in October, city planners tonight will debate whether another new rink should be allowed on a parcel just a few miles away.

The new proposal, to build an ice rink alongside retail stores on 27 acres at Royal Avenue and Madera Road, faces opposition from nearby residents, who say it will generate too much traffic.

Residents voted against the project at a September neighborhood council meeting, saying the addition of a second ice rink will bring too many skaters from outside the city. They say it will mean more traffic on Madera Road, a street already well used.

The Easy Street Arena, a skating facility with two rinks, is slated to open in October, city officials said.

City planners said Tuesday that noise and traffic from the Madera Road project are problems that cannot be controlled because the levels on the street are already high.

Planning commissioners are scheduled to review traffic, noise and other potential impacts of the project, and vote on whether to rezone the parcel for the ice rink and shopping center.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at City Hall.