July 2013 — N 1307
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UPDATE—Colton Lee Development
Ventura County Planning gave us a tentative date of August 1, 2013 as the new date for the Planning Commission Meeting. We are hoping to get this date firmed up very soon. The meeting is still planned to happen in the City of Simi Valley’s Council Chamber at City Hall, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road. We need everyone to attend the meeting – whether you make a public comment or not. If we do not all show up for the meeting then the Planning Commission thinks that this development is ok with us!
Knolls Community Meeting Scheduled for
Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 7:00PM at Live Ride Church
The church is located at 6245 Sylvan Drive. We will be talking about the Planning Commission Meeting and what we should focus on during the public comments. The HOA attorney suggested:
• Inconsistent with community character- even as single family houses rather than mobile homes, the density will be greater than SSK because of the clustering of the development area. Widening of road will destroy existing community character.
• Fails to meet subdivision ordinance for fire…no secondary access. While Fire Dept. compromised by allowing widening of Katherine Road as an alternative when the development was not a subdivision, this should no longer be allowed especially when a secondary access over the railroad tracks is feasible.
• Impact of having 100+ additional vehicles block Katherine Rd at the tracks in this high fire risk area. Talk about your experience when access was a problem during the 2005 fire.
• Biota impacts to trees and wildlife. While on-site impacts have been studied, there have been insufficient studies of off-site impacts resulting from the road widening. (discuss local wildlife in your neighborhood).
• Run-off and harm to creek….have sufficient studies been completed especially regarding road widening?
• Pedestrian impacts…personal testimony re current use of Katherine Road. Do you use the existing dirt shoulders to walk, jog, bike, or horseback? What would be the impacts to you if the road was widened and the shoulder was no longer available?
• Loss of parking does have enviro impacts….personal testimony regarding safety concerns.
Katherine Road ‘walk’ Update
The Katherine Road walk with Supervisor Foy is to be scheduled after the Planning Commission Meeting and before the Board of Supervisors Meeting. More info to come.
New Video on Katherine Road Widening
In the rural zoned area known as Santa Susana Knolls, near Simi Valley, California, Colton Lee Development proposes to widen Katherine Road. In doing so Colton Lee Development not only seeks to win the Ventura County government's and Planning Commission's approval of Katherine Rd. as a secondary access but also gain approval for its high density development in the non-urban Knolls. Is it a sham? Using Google Maps and Google Street views this video presents on-the-ground evidence that it might be. At a little more than 14 minutes, this video—a slightly longer version of "It's A Sham" (also on YouTube)—has a more impassioned appeal at the end. Something only a local could love. See the video on YouTube.
Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks District says goodbye to Ed Hayduk
Several people from the Knolls attended Ed Hayduk's retirement celebration at The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District on July 10th. Ed was the assistant general manager retiring after 38 years of service. Ed was not only the creative vision of many of the Parks in Simi but he was also a great friend to the Knolls. He always alerted us of events that he thought we needed input in. He was very giving with his time and knowledge. He helped Holly Huff and Sybil Scotford on their successful venture to save the Rocky Pointe Park from development. Ed has always been there for our community. We will miss him and wish him well in his retirement. Check out the article in the Acorn.
Fire Tax Protest
Remember last year when we homeowners were all assessed a new fire tax? This tax was challenged in court. From Margaret a poster to ‘NextDoor Santa Susana’ comes news she got from the Howard Jarvis Tax Association:
Fire Tax court day approaching
The fire tax will soon receive its day in court and citizens are welcome to watch the proceedings directly from the gallery of the courtroom.
With written arguments already exchanged between the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the State, the upcoming hearing will give HJTA lawyers the opportunity to appear before a judge and urge that this case be allowed to move forward so that this unfair tax be repealed and refunds granted to those affected.
If you plan to attend, please arrive a little early, dress appropriately, be quiet and respectful in the courtroom, and turn your cell phone off. If you have a “Burned by the Fire Tax” tee shirt, feel free to wear it.
If you want a tee shirt, you can pick one up from our office at 921 Eleventh Street, Suite 1201, Sacramento. Here are the details for the hearing:
Date: Friday, July 19, 2013
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Place: Dept. 14, Sacramento Superior Court, 720 Ninth St., Sacramento
This court hearing is an important step forward in our fight to stop the fire tax, which we believe is illegal under Prop. 13 because it was not passed with a two thirds vote.
Help us keep the Knolls Informed
The HOA does not have contact info for the majority of the neighborhood. It would be helpful if you would talk to your neighbors about sending us their email address so we can add them to our neighborhood list. We keep the list private (really!) and do not share the email addresses with anyone. We also only send out information about the neighborhood – no spam. If anyone wants to join the list and receive this newsletter and other information about the neighborhood have them send an email to SusanaKnollsHoa@roadrunner.com.
Susana Knolls HOA Meetings
Susana Knolls HOA meetings are held every other month, on the First Tuesday of that month at 7:00 at the Depot. Join us for our next meeting on Tuesday, August 6, 2013. See you there!
It's a wild, wonderful world in the Knolls
Many of the birds living in the Knolls depend on our neighborhood trees for survival. A member of the thrush family, the brilliant blue and rust Western Bluebirds seek oak trees for nesting and shelter. The holes in our old growth oak trees provide these insect-eating little birds with the perfect nest sites, often gathering in small flocks to feed on insects and berries. Deep blue, rusty, and white, males are considerably brighter than the gray-brown, blue-tinged females. Bluebirds are frequently seen in parks in the neighborhood. Because of habitat loss, removal of trees and over-trimming of trees, their numbers are sadly declining. You can help out Western Bluebirds by protecting our native oak trees, only trimming when absolutely necessary, placing nest boxes in your yard, and providing a clean source of water.
This newsletter is a production of the Santa Susana Knolls Homeowners Association (SSKHA). If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please let us know. Please share this newsletter with your neighbors. You do not have to be a member of the SSKHA to be on our email list. To subscribe to this newsletter click here. If you are a member of the HOA we really do not want you to unsubscribe but if you must, you can use this link: unsubscribe. The newsletter is produced from the spacious Santa Susana Knolls town center offices at 1409 Kuehner, No. 5, Santa Susana, CA 93063.