Private Skateboard Park Wins Support

Strap on the pads, pull on a helmet and get ready to ride because Simi Valley might soon be getting its first skateboard park.

In a unanimous decision, the Planning Commission voted to approve a special-use zoning permit that would allow Todd Huber and his company STB Productions Inc. to house a 15,400-square-foot skateboard park inside an old plastics molding building on Valley Fair.

In addition, the site would feature a museum of skateboarding memorabilia, including thousands of older and rare skateboards.

“It’s going to be awesome,” said the 32-year-old skateboard enthusiast, who got the idea for the park after his collection of skateboards grew too large. “I just wanted to show off my collection and what better place than in a park.”

Not only that, but Huber believes that a place for kids to skate in Simi Valley is long overdue.

“Every city should have a skateboard park,” he said.

“It’s no different than tennis, and it gives kids a place to be and something to do.”

Although final approval for the park rests with the City Council, Huber is confident that he will be open for business by the end of the year.

“It’s been really hard to get this far,” he said. “But, hopefully, it’ll be worth it.”

A similar privately operated skateboard facility opened in Ventura earlier this year. And just this week, Thousand Oaks opened three temporary public skate parks. Several cities in Ventura County, including Ventura, Camarillo and Ojai, are in the planning stages to build public skateboard facilities.