Officials Move Forward on Plan to Create Park on Open Land in Simi : Development: City and builders of housing at Whiteface agree on how to pay for upkeep of future site.

Simi Valley park officials and the builders of the 1,500-house Whiteface development have moved closer to an agreement that will turn 800 acres of pristine canyon land, dramatic cliffs and towering ridges into a city park.

The two parties agreed at Thursday night’s Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District meeting on a plan to pay for upkeep of the future park site.

“This is a major step forward in the process of turning this land over to the park district,” said Richard Clark, project manager for the Whiteface development.

Under the agreement, each household in the Whiteface project will eventually pay about $80 a year for security, fences and trash collection in the open canyon land, according to park officials.

The fee will also cover the cost of cutting and maintaining trails for hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders.

Park officials hailed the planned addition of Whiteface land to the 1,400 acres of open space it already maintains.

The distinctive beige cliffs, visible from the Simi Valley Freeway and from City Hall, are an important city landmark, said Don Hunt, the district’s assistant general manager.

“This is a vital piece of property for us to preserve,” Hunt said. “Not only does it have scenic value, it also contains important wildlife corridors that connect the open space to the surrounding valley.”

Animals, from lizards to coyotes, roam free on the land, which is now used only occasionally for cattle grazing.

And, while no trails exist on the land, the beauty of the area has lured some hiking enthusiasts to cross fences and ignore signs that warn, “No Trespassing.”

Aggie Dachtler, hiking chairwoman of the local outdoor group Rancho Simi Trailblazers, said she knows several people who have scurried up the rocks to the top of the towering beige escarpment that overlooks Simi Valley.

“You can sit on top of the rocks and look for miles,” Dachtler said. “It’s clean and clear and it’s beautiful.”

Dachtler said that with crowded conditions on other city-run trails, she and others have been waiting for years to see landowners open Whiteface to the public.

“I’d like to see this area open for hikers in my lifetime, not my grandchildren’s lifetime,” she said.

Hiker Robert Noorigian, executive chairman of Rancho Simi Trailblazers, said that when a deal is completed, he expects trail-building to begin right away.

“It’s a fantastic area, and we’re excited that the park district is moving closer to a deal,” Noorigian said. “I’m sure we’ll get right in there to start work on a trail.”

While Thursday’s agreement was a step toward finalizing the trade-off, project manager Clark said it would be at least another year or two before the land transaction is complete.

As part of an agreement with the city, the developer must eventually commit almost 1,700 acres of the 2,686-acre project to open-space agencies. Much of that land is so steep that no construction would be permitted by the city.

The Whiteface development includes proposals for three golf courses in addition to the single-family homes that will cover portions of Tapo Canyon, Dry Canyon and Sand Canyon. After years of wrangling and legal disputes, the project was finally approved in February, 1992.

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Whiteface Project Whiteface developers have agreed to donate 800 acres of open space to the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District for public use. Source: Simi Valley Planning Development