SIMI VALLEY : Commission Backs 237-House Project

The Simi Valley Planning Commission has voted to recommend City Council approval of a 237-house subdivision on the city’s east side with the stipulation that a park and 59 affordable housing units be included in the project.

But the developer opposes inclusion of a park on the 63-acre site south of the 500 block of Tierra Rejada Road.

The Planning Commission voted on Wednesday to recommend to the council that a 2.5- to 5-acre park be included in the development.

“If the park is a requirement of the project, it simply won’t be built,” said John Williamson, a Simi Valley attorney representing Milner Development Corp. of Beverly Hills.

Williamson said the developer is already giving up several million dollars in potential profits by including 59 affordable housing units in the project. Williamson said the affordable units would be sold for about $105,000, or half their market value.

He said that to include a park, the entire development would have to be scaled down. If that were the case, Williamson said, “we don’t think we could finance” the project.

Asher Wolf, Simi Valley’s planning manager, said the council will make the final decision on the housing proposal.

A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 25.