August 2012 — N 1208
Horse Ranch Update
The story thus far: Ever since 2004 Gary Gorian and his development company Colton-Lee Communities have wanted to change the zoning on property in the Knolls to a higher density in order to build initially apartments and then the latest proposal 110 manufactured homes in a trailer park type setting on the land formerly known as the "Knolls Horse Ranch." The Knolls Horse Ranch is vacant and is located southwest of the Southern Pacific tracks at Katherine Road immediately opposite Knolls Park. Gorian is still pursuing the re-zoning, which includes a plan to widen Katherine Rd from the little league park to the Pass Road. There is an alternate plan of 60 houses, but that does not change the requirement to widen Katherine Rd throughout the entire Knolls.
The EIR (Environmental Impact Report) for the Horse Ranch Development is in its final stages at the County. Comments from the neighborhood and the SKHA attorney were sent to the County and are being addressed and incorporated into the report. The next step will be the hearing at the Planning Commission. We expect the Planning Commission meeting to be held the end of September or early October. This is where we will need help from the neighborhood. We need to fill the hearing with residents from the Knolls and let them know our issues. It is very important that we have a lot of residents at the Planning Commission meeting!!! We will probably only get a few weeks' notice prior to the meeting so watch for emails and signs posted in the neighborhood. More details to come as we get them!
A View Across The Tracks
The old Nursery property just across the tracks in the City has been approved for very low income Senior Housing. The project site is located on the east side of Katherine Rd just north of the railroad tracks. The address is 1384 Katherine Rd. There will be 31 small apartments including a manager apartment and an additional common building. The apartments will all be single story.
In Future Issues...
We hope to make this newsletter a monthly publication with important news and timely features on living in the Knolls. Here are some regular features you can expect in every issue.
A View Across The Tracks—news from Simi Valley City Hall and how their decisions will affect the Knolls.
Night Skies—Our neighborhood is fortunate to not have a lot of light pollution. This gives us the opportunity to star gaze. Every night there are awesome cosmic displays you really don't want to miss. More info to come!
Living with the Wild—Living in the unincorporated parts of the county brings with it the beauty of nature and the responsibilities of coexisting with it.