Pair Wary of Plan to Buy Wagon Trail Site

Tentative plans by Simi Valley’s open space agency to buy land crossed by a historic wagon trail may be a waste of money, two City Council members said.

The Rancho Simi Open Space Conservation Agency, which manages the city’s open space, may purchase undeveloped land near Corriganville Park. The agency wants to preserve the land as a wildlife corridor and protect an old wagon trail--still visible on the property--that once led into the San Fernando Valley.

But council members Bill Davis and Barbara Williamson, who serve on the agency’s board, said that buying the land may be unnecessary because the terrain is too steep to be developed.

“Those animals are going to keep using the corridor because you can’t build on it,” Williamson said.

The land abuts the railroad tracks near Smith Road. Agency officials do not yet know how many acres they would buy, or what the final price would be.

Jerry Gladden, general manager of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, said he hoped that the price would not exceed $130,000. The city and park district together would provide half the money, with the rest coming from a state wildlife conservation fund.

The agency board may discuss the proposal at its March meeting, Gladden said. The City Council and park district would have to approve spending the money before the agency could buy the land.