Simi Valley Ca Development And Redevelopment

Holly and Don Huff began building their rural dream house in the 1970s. What started as a tiny bungalow in the woods of the Santa Susana Knolls was transformed through the Huffs' own labor into a rustic, two-story hideaway of redwood and stone. The Huffs and their neighbors--an eclectic group of artists, musicians and nature lovers--came to this hamlet just west of Chatsworth seeking a laid-back refuge from the hustle of city living. Then the city and the hustle came to them.

Residents of a semirural equestrian community have begun a grass-roots campaign to protest plans by two Los Angeles County developers to build 200 apartment units in their neighborhood. Homeowners along Leeds Street, a long pastoral block that runs parallel to four-lane Los Angeles Avenue and Cochran Street, say they want to protect the character of their tree-lined street, which has no sidewalks but provides mountain views in three directions.

The stomping grounds of Marshal Matt Dillon, Laura Ingalls and about 1,000 head of cattle are up for sale. Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley, which has masqueraded as Kansas for "Gunsmoke" and Minnesota for "Little House on the Prairie" among other places, will be auctioned in four parcels totaling 6,711 acres.

Once defined by citrus orchards and eucalyptus groves, the intersection of Tapo Canyon Road and Alamo Street is slowly shaping into what could be the closest thing to a downtown this tract-home suburb will have. A series of developments--including, most recently, a proposal to more than double the size of City Hall--is promising to change the face of the area. "This is what they've always envisioned as their town center," said Robert D.

A Simi Valley homeowner group has alleged that a new McDonald's restaurant violated city planning rules by posting an illegal sign, staying open too late and failing to properly landscape a playground area. At Monday's City Council meeting, representatives of Citizens for a Safe and Scenic Simi Valley lodged the complaints about the restaurant, which opened recently on Yosemite Avenue, just north of the Simi Valley Freeway.

Once defined by citrus orchards and eucalyptus groves, the intersection of Tapo Canyon Road and Alamo Street is slowly shaping into what could be the closest thing to a downtown this tract-home suburb will have. A series of developments--including, most recently, a proposal to more than double the size of City Hall--is promising to change the face of the area. "This is what they've always envisioned as their town center," said Robert D.

An earthquake, an arsonist and an underdog business district may prove to be the catalysts that kick this city into the 21st century--designwise. The beleaguered Tapo Street district is fighting hard to redesign its image and regain its clientele. At the same time, government planners hope to use Simi Valley's oldest business district as its newest showcase for urban design--and as an opportunity to consider tightening design standards citywide.

Trying to keep up with the ever-changing real estate market in Southern California, the Simi Valley City Council on Monday night approved a plan that eventually may permit business and office buildings to mix with light-manufacturing plants on the west side of town. Although the area west of 1st Street along the Simi Valley Freeway is zoned for light manufacturing, there has been an ever-increasing interest in locating offices and warehouse-type retail stores there, city officials said.

The Simi Valley City Council may offer a higher financial incentive to entice a major music and video tape firm to move a distribution warehouse to the city from Chatsworth, Mayor Greg Stratton said Thursday. The City Council on Monday will consider waiving an extra $63,000 in fees and costs for Warner/Elektra/Atlantic Corp. because company executives complained about the offer of only $105,000 in incentives and have promised to bring more jobs to the area than initially estimated.

After hearing a dozen residents criticize a proposed Wal-Mart store, the Simi Valley council decided Monday to let local voters determine in November whether the giant retail chain can go forward with building its discount outlet. In a 4-1 vote, the council instructed city staff to prepare a binding Nov. 2 ballot measure focusing on a single issue: Should Simi Valley allow a Wal-Mart store to be constructed before a long-planned regional mall is developed.

Holly and Don Huff began building their rural dream house in the 1970s. What started as a tiny bungalow in the woods of the Santa Susana Knolls was transformed through the Huffs' own labor into a rustic, two-story hideaway of redwood and stone. The Huffs and their neighbors--an eclectic group of artists, musicians and nature lovers--came to this hamlet just west of Chatsworth seeking a laid-back refuge from the hustle of city living. Then the city and the hustle came to them.

A high-end housing boom in Simi Valley fueled a continuing rise in the Ventura County home market last month, according to a report released Thursday. Simi Valley home sales grew 115% over September 1997 and 9% over the previous month, according to the monthly report by La Jolla-based research firm Acxiom/DataQuick Information Systems. Median prices also shot up $71,000 in the eastern half of the city, a 42.3% increase over last year.

Its foes publish ominous ads warning that Wal-Mart will "invite . . . economic disaster" and "destroy Simi Valley." Its advocates say the giant discount store will boost sales tax revenues, bring more shoppers to Simi Valley and perhaps even lure someone to build the mall this city has dreamed of for so long. And before Wal-Mart has even applied for a building permit for its planned 135,000-square-foot mega-store, this city is abuzz.

If 1996 was Simi Valley's year of promise, 1997 might just be the year that delivers. Over the past year, Simi Valley officials were brimming with hope that developers would start moving half a dozen projects through the permitting pipeline. This coming year, those developers have permits in hand, subcontractors in mind and groundbreaking dates on their calendars.

An earthquake, an arsonist and an underdog business district may prove to be the catalysts that kick this city into the 21st century--designwise. The beleaguered Tapo Street district is fighting hard to redesign its image and regain its clientele. At the same time, government planners hope to use Simi Valley's oldest business district as its newest showcase for urban design--and as an opportunity to consider tightening design standards citywide.

Residents whose hillside homes overlook the rugged hills of Marr Ranch and the manicured greens of Simi Hills Golf Course have an added and contentious attraction in their backyards these days: survey stakes. The stakes in back of 71 homes in the Texas tract indicate property boundaries for the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, boundary lines that lop off chunks of gardens, saw off corners of decks and cut through tiled pools.

The developer of Simi Valley's sprawling Wood Ranch community won another reprieve Wednesday from the bank that has repeatedly sought to auction off the tournament golf course and other property to cover a defaulted loan. Olympia/Roberts Co., which owes $15 million to Wells Fargo Bank, persuaded the lender to postpone today's foreclosure sale until May 7.

The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District will seek a permit tonight from Simi Valley city officials to build a 166-acre community park that eventually would include an amphitheater, hiking trails, a camping area and a nature center. But a condition that city officials want to place on the permit could stall development of Challenger Park, said Dmitri Hunt, the district's planning and development administrator.

Trying to keep up with the ever-changing real estate market in Southern California, the Simi Valley City Council on Monday night approved a plan that eventually may permit business and office buildings to mix with light-manufacturing plants on the west side of town. Although the area west of 1st Street along the Simi Valley Freeway is zoned for light manufacturing, there has been an ever-increasing interest in locating offices and warehouse-type retail stores there, city officials said.

The Simi Valley City Council may offer a higher financial incentive to entice a major music and video tape firm to move a distribution warehouse to the city from Chatsworth, Mayor Greg Stratton said Thursday. The City Council on Monday will consider waiving an extra $63,000 in fees and costs for Warner/Elektra/Atlantic Corp. because company executives complained about the offer of only $105,000 in incentives and have promised to bring more jobs to the area than initially estimated.