SIMI VALLEY : Council Postpones Action on Housing

Approval of a 416-unit housing development on one of the last vacant properties in Simi Valley’s flatlands has been delayed two weeks while city officials and the developer fine-tune the plan.

The City Council continued the item until its next scheduled meeting to allow the developer, Griffin Industries Inc., and city planning officials to rework parking for the project.

Approval by the council would pave the way for the company to begin grading in late summer or early fall. The project has already been approved by the Planning Commission.

The single-family houses and condominiums would be built on part of the 67-acre site between Sinola and Madera roads. Plans to build a post office next to the development on Los Angeles Avenue have already been approved.

The field is the site of the annual Simi Valley Days. Organizers of the annual weeklong festival are looking for an alternative site.

The development plan includes 31 condominiums for low-income families. Using federal Community Development Block Grant money, the city extended a $700,000 five-year loan to Griffin to help build the project, said Dulce Conde-Sierra, a deputy director of city housing.