Simi Valley News

Free Drop off Day for Simi Valley Residents at the Simi Valley Landfill this Sunday May 16th

May 10, 2010 By Ted Mackel 1 Comment

Attention Simi Valley Residents: If you want to keep off the show “Hoarders” well this may be your chance. The Simi Valley Landfill is having a free drop off day to bring in your items.

What can you bring?

Your Garbage. Appliances, clean concrete and asphalt, clean wood and greenwaste, and construction or demolition material will also be accepted for recycling. Please separate recyclable materials from rubbish so it can be recycled and not end up in the landfill.

What you cannot bring:

No commercial waste, hazardous waste, liquids, tires, household batteries, products containing mercury (such as thermometers and thermostats), or fluorescent light tubes and bulbs will be accepted.

How About Electronic Waste?

Goodwill Industries will be on site collecting gently used items for donation and electronic waste (such as televisions, computers, etc.)

Requirements:

Don’t get a ticket on the way to the Simi Valley Landfill; the Highway Patrol requires all loads to be covered to prevent spillage. You will need proof of Simi Valley residency, such as a driver’s license with a Simi Valley address. Residents must unload their own vehicles. This event is for residents and nonprofit organizations only.

Location, Date and Times:

2801 Madera Road, on Sunday, May 16, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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Thanks for reading Simi Valley’s Premiere Real Estate Blog!
Author – Ted Mackel Simi Valley Real Estate Agent – Keller Williams Realty
Ted Mackel is a top producer at Keller Williams Realty Simi Valley,
specializing in Simi Valley Real Estate
(805) 432-7705

Filed Under: Simi Valley News Tagged With: drop off, Electromic waste, Simi Valley Landfill, Simi Valley residents

What you need to know about the City of Simi Valley Housing Element Update (Part I)

February 25, 2010 By Ted Mackel 2 Comments

What you need to know about the City of Simi Valley Housing Element Update (Part I)

Crest at Wild Horse Canyon Simi Valley Where can the city allow development? Will the hills of Simi Valley be jeopardized? The city has been working hard to come up with a plan that works for all, however the city and the citizens are their own worst enemy when it comes to the future development of the city.

Key points to understand:

The citizens would like controlled growth and keep Simi from turning into a sprawling mess like the San Fernando Valley
The City, over the course of time (including past administrations) has agreed and supported a controlled growth platform

Numbers one and two go together and really are the key to if Simi Valley will ever mature. First consideration is that the city controls what is in the City’s limit boundaries. Development outside the city limits is under the direction of the County board of Supervisors. The S.O.A.R. initiative is a very restrictive ordinance that helps control the development in these areas controlled by the county. Areas outside the city limits are typically zone AG 40 or OS 40; the Agricultural 40 and Open Space 40 zoning means that any given parcel of land cannot be subdivided below 40 acres or one house per forty acres. For example a 50 acre parcel in these zones cannot be subdivided any further, however a 90 acre parcel could be divided into a 50 acre parcel and a 40 acre parcel. The restrictions and rules under S.O.A.R. make it next to impossible to get a zone change, variance or CPU. The process is lengthy and expensive and involves a vote by the county citizens. Cornerstone Church of Simi Valley was effective in finding a loophole to get around the restrictions in the Tierra Rejada, but the project was never moved forward.

Turning our focus to inside Simi Valley City limits, the first thing to understand is that we are running out of areas to develop. This is problematic in that the Simi Valley Housing Element Update is required by State Law to add additional housing units by 2014. Simi Valley’s requirement to meet State law is 3,383 units of housing. Unfortunately in the past, the city could have added units to stay within state law. Properties that were available, zoned with higher densities, were approved at lower densities because of citizen backlash and a predisposition by council and the planning commission for low density projects. While this is all understandable, the impacts are far reaching and now have Simi Valley out of compliance with state law. Now that these sites are gone the city and it citizens are going to be boxed into a corner to approve high density residential projects in places that will cause trouble with the surrounding residents. Additionally the City Council and Planning commission will have it’s work cut out for them to approve projects that don’t look like they were jammed in the last available pieces of land in the city. I foresee many battles at Planning commission meeting, City Council meeting between the residents and local officials over the upcoming projects and redevelopment districts.

I will focus this series on several different aspects of the cities future development so stay tuned. You can subscribe to my blog in the upper right hand corner via email or RSS feed. Comment are appreciates and if you disagree with my view point I only ask to keep the discussion cordial. Differing points of view on this matter are very important.

Filed Under: Simi Valley News Tagged With: City Council, Cornerstone Church, housing Element Update, Planning Commission, Residents, Simi Valley, SOAR

1st Annual Simi Valley SnowFest 11-8-09

November 2, 2009 By Ted Mackel 2 Comments

Simi Valley SnowFest

Don’t miss the 1st Annual Simi Valley SnowFest on Sunday November 8th. This new event runs from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm as a kick off for the holiday season. This event is organized and run by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, at the Rancho Santa Susanna Community Park in Simi Valley located near Stearns and Los Angeles Ave across from the Metrolink station.

The park district will be bringing in equipment to manufacture several tons of snow for sledding and winter play. The Simi Valley SnowFest is also an arts and crafts fair so there be plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy. This is a free event so bring the kids down for a great Time on Sunday.

Filed Under: Simi Valley News Tagged With: Simi Valley, SnowFest

Simi Valley Landfill Expansion

September 17, 2009 By Ted Mackel 3 Comments

Simi Valley Landfill Expansion

Below is information provided by Waste Management. I have personally known Mike Smith and Scott Tignac for many years going way back to the GI Rubbish days. Waste Management made a great decision keeping Mike & Scott involved in the Simi Valley operations especially as Mike has been a big corporate supporter of many local causes and charities through out the years. While there are legitimate concerns over the Landfill expansion, I know there are two sides to every story. Links are provided below for review of the proposed expansion plans.

Simi-Valley-Landfill-and-recycling-center

Community Benefits

Why the Modernization and Expansion Project is good for the community.

Maintains more than 275 good-paying jobs in Ventura County
Injects more than $48 million annually into the Ventura County economy
Contributes more than $3.6 million to public agency budgets within Ventura County
Improves recycling options and increases environmentally-friendly programs
Increases production of enough green energy to power 6,250 local homes
Establishes one of the first LEED facilities at a landfill in the county by using recycled and sustainable building materials, energy-efficient lighting, green energy programs and recycled water
Reduces truck traffic on the Madera Corridor by moving local trucking operations to landfill
Creates over 500 acres for open space and wildlife habitats
Provides charitable contributions including annual sponsorships, service donations and employee volunteer support

Looking Ahead

Dear Friends,

We are excited to share some news about our plans for the future.

In the coming weeks, the Ventura County Planning Department will release a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for everyone to review. This document includes detailed information about our plans at the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center.

We hope you get a chance to review the EIR during the 45-day public comment period. Also, in order to make sure that you have all the facts, we will work with the County to ensure that copies of the EIR are available at County offices, local libraries and our website.

Here are some ways you can get involved and show your support:

Send a letter of support to your Ventura County District Board of Supervisor at www.countyofventura.org
Take a landfill tour for an up-close look at the project
Review the project information online on our website (click on “Modernization/Expansion”)
Attend a public meeting, once the dates of the meetings are announced
Register your support on our website and join our online community at www.KeepingVenturaCountyClean.com

Our plans for the future will increase green energy programs and help meet the disposal and recycling needs of residents and businesses now and into the future.

For more information about our project or to take a landfill tour, visit

www.KeepingVenturaCountyClean.com/expansion.html or contact Lisa Hemenway at (805) 581-1746.

All the Best,

Mike Smith, Director of Operations

Scott Tignac, Landfill District Manager

Filed Under: Simi Valley News Tagged With: landfill expansion, Simi Valley, waste management

Simi Valley Dog Park Now Open

March 20, 2009 By Ted Mackel 9 Comments

Simi Valley Dog Park Big Sky Lost Canyons

Simi Valley Dog Park Now Open

(Map Below) I made it up to the Simi Valley Dog Park last Monday Evening with my pooch “Bentley”. I was quite surprised. I love the location. This section of Simi Valley in the Santa Susana Mountains is breathtaking and has the best views of the surrounding hills, canyons and valley…better than Long Canyon and Wood Ranch. To get to the Simi Valley Dog Park go north on Erringer from the 118 freeway, then at Lost Canyons make a right turn and then at Parkside make a left. Drive past the ball fields and up to the top, past the water tank. The Simi Valley Dog Park is completely fenced in, divided in two sections, one section for large breeds and the other for small breeds. This is in the Big Sky housing development on the north central side of Simi Valley.

This is going to be a popular place for dog lovers to come and play with their dogs and let their dogs socialize with other dogs.

Simi Valley Dog Park Located in the Big Sky Lost Canyons developments

I even thought that if you were a dog lover, but did not have a home that could accommodate dog ownership, you could visit the park and enjoy the dogs. The Simi Valley Dog Park is a great place to visit if you are planning to purchase or rescue a dog soon, as you can meet dog owners and ask questions and observe how the different breeds interact.

This park is beautiful and something our city needed. The only flaw I could find in the Simi Valley Dog park was the watering station. It was not well planned and it has turned into a mud pit very close to the entrance. This can be fixed and should prove to be a temporary nuisance.

To get to the park take Erringer north to Lost Canyons Drive and turn right. Then go to 2151 Lost Canyons Dr. Simi Valley Ca 93065. When you see the Baseball field on the left you are almost there. Turn left into the entrance of the base ball fields and drive past the fields all the way up to the top of the hill. The Google Map below has an old satellite photo.
View Larger Map

Filed Under: Local Events & Activities, Simi Valley News Tagged With: Big Sky, Dog Park, housing, Lost Canyons, Simi Valley

Simi Valley School Teachers Get Pink Slips

March 14, 2009 By Ted Mackel 1 Comment

Simi Valley School Teachers Get Pink Slips

Simi Valley School Teachers Pink Slip Friday Yesterday was Pink Slip Friday and many teachers were let go so the state bureaucracy could line it’s pockets with education money and send teachers to the unemployment lines. The Teachers would not take this laying down and a massive protest was organized for the corner of Sycamore and Cochran in Simi Valley and the support was unanimous. I will say that maybe the general public might start to understand how important it is to vote our incumbent assembly and representative out of Sacramento. If this is not a clear signal that something is wrong then not much will change.

Filed Under: Simi Valley News Tagged With: education, pink slip, School, Simi Valley, Teachers

5 things you need to know before moving to Simi Valley

January 19, 2009 By Ted Mackel Leave a Comment

5 things you need to know before moving to Simi Valley

It gets windy here! Tradition has it that “Simi” is the Chumash Indian word for wind. Some areas of Simi Valley can be like a wind tunnel during the fall and winter. I know, I live in one of those tracts. The positive side of our winds is that during the hotter months of the summer it is more a breeze and night time cools off with the breeze.
Simi Valley is not a destination. Simi Valley has never been a destination and this will always affect what kinds of businesses and services locate in Simi Valley, which will ultimately limit those services and business. The positive side is that since we are not along the traveling route to destination places, we get overlooked and are not in the “bulls-eye”. This is a big part of why Simi Valley continually is rated one of the safer cities to live.
Simi Valley and Ventura County have controlled growth. Our city and county will keep urban sprawl well checked. The hill sides are protected from willy nilly development. The negative impact from controlled growth is that the lower population numbers will contribute to the limited types of businesses and services that can survive in highly regulated cities. It is very difficult to have our cake and eat it too. Fortunately Simi Valley is located close enough to attractions in Los Angeles county and north west in Ventura County, so Simi Valley can maintain that small city feel so desired by it’s residents.
Simi Valley is home to the Ronald Reagan Library. This is a terrific attraction for the area and definitely a plus for Simi Valley. The negative is if you are not a Ronald Regaan supporter, then you will have to drive the Ronald Reagan Freeway regularly.
Simi Valley is a family town and real bedroom community. If you are an urban dweller, this town shuts down about the same time Walmart and Target close…10pm. Night life here is limited. However our family town environment is full of very active people who like the outdoors and a very active lifestyle as evidenced by Simi Valley neighborhoods dotted with RVs, boats, jet skis, ATV’s etc.

If you know of other things that people relocating to Simi Valley should know, then please post the good, the bad and the ugly. Show us your love for Simi Valley!

Filed Under: Buyers, Personal Ramblings, Simi Valley News Tagged With: Chumash Indian, Los Angles, ronald reagan library, Simi Valley, Target, Ventura County, Walmart

Eating It’s Young…City of Simi Valley Is Not Helping Local Businesses

January 19, 2009 By Ted Mackel 7 Comments

Eating It’s Young…City of Simi Valley Is Not Helping Local Businesses

The Future of Simi Valley Retail is under attack and round one will prove to be tough reality for Simi Valley as the Thousand Oaks Mall will again take shoppers away from local businesses. What is more concerning is the Westfield plans for Topanga Plaza and the Promenade. Westfiled plans to adjoin the two Malls with the property that is boarded by Ownesmouth, Topanga Canyon, Victory and Erwin. The proposed expansion will include a $750-million outdoor village including:

A 300 room hotel
150 condominiums
Apartments
Offices
550,000 square feet of retail

Approximately 24 million people a year shop at the two malls and the expansion will bring an estimated 10 million more annually.

Over 6,000 jobs will be created and millions in sales tax revenue for the city of Los Angeles.

Something this exciting and this large will definitely draw shoppers out of Simi Valley and no matter how much our Chamber of Commerce and our City Council fight to convince Simi Valley residents to “Shop Simi Valley First”, these two modern and behemoth projects (TO & Westfield) that bookend our town cannot be willed away. This is like trying to hide and elephant under the living room carpet.

What can our city do to bolster the retail for Simi Valley?

No more rezoning or giving variances to properties to allow more retail shops.

This will stop diluting the revenues that our current business are so reliant on.

Work with residential developers to add units to our city within the guidelines of the city’s General Plan.

Our population numbers are too small to support the businesses we already have. While this is not a very popular move, our City Council should have thought more about how to support added businesses instead of being seduced by sales tax revenues; sorry but both population and sales tax are a function of each other. Simi Valley is not a destination town and when the Westfield project is complete, any fantasy by our City that we are, will vanish.

The good news is that I am not proposing to just build homes willy nilly, we have several developments on the horizon and now that the city has backed our businesses into a under preforming corner, it is time for them to step up to the plate and create an environment that will provide more opportunity for success. The future Westfield development and the Thousand Oaks Mall will never go away, but let’s give our local business owners a fighting chance to be healthy for years to come.

Filed Under: Simi Valley News Tagged With: Promenade, Retail, Shop Simi First, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Topanga Plaza, Westfield, Woodland Hills

Northridge Earthquake 15 year Anniversary

January 18, 2009 By Ted Mackel 1 Comment

Northridge Earthquake 15 year Anniversary

Yesterday was the anniversary of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. I was living in my second floor Simi Valley Sinaloa Villa Condominium when my wife and I were shaken beyond anything we had felt in our lives as native residents of southern California. My kitchen cabinets and refrigerator were emptied on the floor, a broken lamp, toppled furniture and rattled nerves were just about enough for us as we had two small children at the time. The TV in our Master Bedroom hit my newborn son’s bed frame.

At my parent’s house in Woodland Hills things were much more serious. They lost their entire chimney and the weight of the two story chimney that was strapped to the side of the house acted as a counter weight and that weight exacerbated the shaking and damage on their home. When the chimney gave way, it landed on my brother’s bed; he had moved moments before, saving his own life. The chimney ruptures a natural gas line and even thought he was trapped behind the rubble if the chimney and roof, he managed to get out and shut off the gas.

Many stories of similar situations were told over the following weeks. What is very interesting about this event is that 15 years later I am still seeing evidence of this event when I show homes for sale. I have been working with several clients that are new to the area and were not here for the shaker. When they have questions about earthquakes, I can take them out to the street of any home in the west San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley and point out replaced chimney’s that dot almost every tract. Additionally there are many homes that still show evidence inside. Yesterday was especially interesting in that a home I was showing in Simi Valley’s Texas Tract had many un-repaired cracks around most of the doorways and windows which is typical in a major shaker like the 1994 Northridge Event. These reminders on this 15 year anniversary should be a wake up call for us not to forget and become complacent regarding earthquake safety.

For earthquake safety see: