Petitions to Be Circulated in Simi : Slow-Growth Initiative Drive Opens

A group of Simi Valley residents who fear that increased development will mar the the semi-rural flavor of their city is scheduled to begin a petition drive today to place two slow-growth initiatives on the November ballot.

The initiatives would severely restrict hillside development and residential construction throughout the city, according to David Penner, a spokesman for the group, Citizens for Managed Growth and Hillside Protection.

The group must gather 4,000 signatures in the next five weeks in order to qualify the measures for the ballot.

Penner, 30, said the group was formed in February in an attempt to preserve the quality of life in Simi Valley and prevent urban blight, which he said has marred several cities in the San Fernando Valley.

“The one thing that impressed me when I moved out here to Simi Valley was that it was a nice place you could come home to and I’d like to see it preserved the way it is,” Penner, a three-year resident, said.

Signature Effort Described

He said Friday that signatures will be solicited door-to-door and at shopping centers in the city.

One initiative would order the city to restrict residential, industrial and commercial construction in hillside and rural areas and to prevent the grading for development of slopes in excess of 10%. The other initiative calls for year-to-year controls on the rate, distribution, quality and type of housing development to prevent the deterioration of air quality, avoid traffic congestion and “preserve the character of the community.”

Penner said he expects no problem in gathering the necessary signatures within the allotted time.

“The majority of the people are concerned about the development that is going on in Simi Valley. Hopefully, we’ve addressed all the concerns of the people,” Penner said.

He added that the group would continue to push the measures, despite the fact that the city’s Community Development Department is drafting a hillside ordinance to ban residential, industrial and commercial development on hillsides with slopes of 20% or more, in contrast to to the initiative’s restriction to 10% grades. A public hearing will be held on the proposed ordinance on May 14 at City Hall.

Council Plans Hearings

City Council is also planning to conduct a series of public hearings this month to determine whether the number of residential building permits approved should be limited. The hearings are part of the the city’s General Plan review, which is scheduled to be completed in September.

Penner said voter approval of the proposed initiatives would make it impossible for City Council to make any significant changes in the law without calling an election.

Mayor Pro Tem Greg Stratton said Friday that he can’t “agree with every nook and cranny” of the proposed initiatives, but that he agrees with their concepts. Stratton said he is disappointed, however, that the group decided not to await the outcome of the public hearings on the General Plan update before beginning the petition drive.

Other City Council members declined to comment Friday on the initiative petitions.

Simi Valley was incorporated in 1969. It has a population of 93,000 and lies in Ventura County immediately west of the Los Angeles County line. It is traversed from east to west by the Simi Valley Freeway.