Simi Valley Renewal Plan Sought for Business District

The Simi Valley City Council has ordered city planners to study ways of revitalizing the beleaguered Tapo Street business district.

Part of the three-block business district has been blighted with vacancies, declining business and ugly rubble since the 1994 Northridge earthquake shattered the Pic ‘N’ Save and Sears Outlet stores and forced them to close.

The Pic ‘N’ Save building was razed and never rebuilt, but the Sears store stood untouched for more than 20 months while its owners searched for a new tenant. Then someone torched it in October, leaving it unrepairable. City officials expect the remaining cinder block walls to be torn down.

Not long after the fire, failing business forced nearby Nappy’s Restaurant to close down after 25 years of service, and remaining businesses complained that they feared the neighborhood would never improve.

On Monday, the council voted 5-0 to have city staff canvass the Tapo Street merchants and come up with recommendations for pumping new life back into the neighborhood.

Over the next two to three months, city staff will review everything from landscaping and facades to parking and potential tenants for the Sears and Pic ‘N’ Save lots.