Simi Council to Hold Hearing on Annexation : Growth: Addition of land would bring the city 500 more residents. Some people in the affected areas are opposed to the proposal.

The city of Simi Valley could include 200 more acres of land, 247 more houses, and more than 500 new residents under a plan to annex seven pieces of unincorporated territory along the city’s northern border.

The City Council will hold a hearing Monday for members of the public to comment on steps leading to the annexation.

Also Monday, the council is expected to approve preliminary zoning regulations that the areas would have to follow if they joined the city.

City officials said they are required to initiate the annexation proceedings as a result of an earlier decision by the Ventura County Local Agency Formation Commission. That decision allowed the city to annex another 2,900 acres for the planned Whiteface residential development.

Officials also said the city will impose zoning regulations that are in most cases no stricter than those imposed by the county, and they argue that the annexation will allow the residents better government services.

But some residents disagree and are opposing the annexation for a variety of reasons.

Wendy Dager moved out of Simi Valley into one of the unincorporated pockets of land a year ago. Now she fears that if the city swallows up her property, her neighborhood will change for the worse.

“I’m against it. It will ruin the country atmosphere,” she said. She is not alone. Eleven of the 12 property owners in one of the pockets have signed a petition opposing the annexation.

The strong opposition makes it unlikely that the annexation of that area will proceed, Environmental Services Director Diane Jones said in a report to the City Council.

Residents of 123 houses between Walnut Street and Township Avenue, the most populous pocket to face annexation, may also oppose the plans. They collected enough petitions to quash an earlier attempt to add them to the city in 1990.

Other opponents of the annexation do not even live in the affected areas.

Ginn Doose, for example, said the annexation and preliminary zoning changes, which would allow an additional 72 houses to be built on the land incorporated into the city, should undergo a more rigorous environmental review.

“They shouldn’t be building up there until more detailed studies are done. I want it done right and want to make sure everything’s safe,” Doose said. She warned that building on the newly annexed lands, together with the Whiteface project nearby, could turn Simi Valley into “an asphalt community like the [San Fernando] Valley.”

A review conducted by City Planner Laura Kuhn found that the annexation and zoning changes could not have a significant impact on the environment. The city’s planning commission unanimously approved that assessment last month.

Not everyone in the affected areas opposes the annexation. Cal Schlotzhauer said he has no problem with the plan and is looking forward to being protected by the Simi Valley police.

He worried a bit about having to change the name of his street, Anderson Drive, because there already is an Anderson Street within the city limits. But he is excited by the options.

“It’s kind of nice that you’ll be able to name your own street,” Schlotzhauer said.