Simi Council Puts Low-Cost Seniors Housing on Ballot

The Simi Valley City Council has agreed to place a measure on the ballot that would amend the city’s controlled-growth ordinance to allow more affordable housing to be built for low-income senior citizens.

Following a brief public hearing, the City Council voted 5 to 0 Monday night to approve the ballot proposal that would amend Measure A, passed by voters in 1986.

Residents will be able to vote on the amendment during a special election in June.

Measure A, which is based on population and demographics, allows for about 43 building permits to be issued every three months until it expires in mid-1996, Assistant City Planner Jim Lightfoot said. Twenty percent of the permits issued are for affordable senior housing, which city officials said is not enough to meet the demand.

If approved by voters, the amendment would allow developers to borrow from future permit allocations if their residential projects are specifically for low-income seniors, Lightfoot said.

Some residents complained Monday that the proposed amendment will only benefit one segment of the city’s population, and that more needs to be done to provide affordable housing for first-time home buyers.

“I don’t care what anybody says, there is nothing in Simi Valley that’s affordable,� one man told the council. “It’s becoming too affluent. We’ve got to come up with a plan that’s equal for everybody.�

Councilman Glen McAdoo agreed that the cost of housing in the city has risen dramatically over the last few years, but said that the council has been working on various programs to deal with the issue.

He noted that in August, the council approved a plan to provide low-interest loans to about 125 first-time home buyers with modest incomes and, for the first time, subsidize their down payments.

“There are other areas of housing where needs exist,� McAdoo said. “We are not ignoring those. We are willing to invest money and time to see that those people who are a value to our community are taken care of.�