SIMI VALLEY : Residents Oppose Expansion of City

Most residents who spoke at a public hearing this week were opposed to proposed developments that would double the number of houses in Moorpark.

About 150 people attended the Planning Commission hearing Monday on whether the city should increase its size from 12.3 square miles to 30.7 square miles. More than 5,500 new residences are proposed to be built on the land that would be annexed to the city.

“I consider this as a first step toward the potential destruction of the ambience of the city . . . ,” resident Bill LaPerch said.

A few residents said they support the proposed expansion because growth is inevitable. “Not planning for growth does not mean that growth will not happen,” resident Cheri Risley said.

However, most of the more than 20 residents who spoke before the commission said they would support annexing land only if city officials would not allow development on it.

Residents said they were particularly concerned about the five proposals to build thousands of homes on the ridges and hillsides north of the city.

LaPerch, a former planning commissioner, noted that Moorpark, unlike the neighboring cities of Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, has no ridgeline-protection ordinance. The General Plan amendment under consideration by the commission suggests no specific restrictions on grading.

The commissioners continued the hearing until 7 p.m. Thursday, when they are scheduled to consider whether to accept an environmental report on the expansion proposals.