Simi Senior Housing Wins Council Approval

SIMI VALLEY — Ending a much-ballyhooed debate by Wood Ranch residents, the City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a permit for a 148-unit affordable-housing project for seniors.

The council agreed to allow the apartment complex to go forward provided that developers obtain needed financing and reach an agreement with the council on what portion of the project will be set aside for low-income residents.

“I think we should move forward; there are a lot of safeguards,” said Councilman Paul Miller.

The project could be ready for occupancy in November 1998.

AMCAL Multi-Housing Inc. of Westlake Village wants to build a $10.5-million project on Country Club Drive near Wood Ranch Parkway.

The developers have an agreement to build on 5.8 acres of land now owned by San Francisco-based ATC Realty Sixteen, said to Arjun Nagarkatti, AMCAL’s vice president for development.

Although the city mandated that 49%, or 72 units, be reserved for low-income seniors, Nagarkatti said the company intends to offer all of the units to low-income residents.

“It will remain for seniors for the life of the project,” he said.

By limiting the project to low-income seniors, Nagarkatti said it would qualify his firm for tax credits from the state Tax Credit Allocation Committee.

He added that 20% of the units will have two bedrooms while the remainder will be one-bedroom dwellings.

The proposal has been a hot topic for Wood Ranch residents this spring. Proponents argue that the project would alleviate the city’s long-standing shortage of affordable housing for seniors.

“There is a requirement that is now not being satisfied,” said Boris Palarz, a Wood Ranch homeowner. “We need more affordable senior housing. I’m a firm believer in mixed communities. I’m against ghettoizing our seniors.”

Opponents fear that the land will one day be needed to expand an adjacent shopping center and that in the future, the units could house low-income families.

Edward Jakowczyk, president of the Country Club Village Homeowners Assn. in Wood Ranch, said his organization has taken no position on this issue. But Jakowczyk has personal reservations. “We really don’t know what the community is going to need.”

AMCAL and the council must reach an agreement on the specifics of the package by Sept. 15, said Dulce Conde-Sierra, a city Planning Commission staff member.

The agreement will include limits on maximum income to qualify for renting, maximum rent that may be charged and how the project will be marketed, she said.

That agreement is not likely to be signed until AMCAL secures funding for the project.

The proposal came before the council without a Planning Commission recommendation. The commission voted 2 to 2 on April 9, with Chairman Michael Piper absent.