CLARITY: Long time Simi Valley residents remember visiting the old Sycamore Drive Community Center. Since 1964, this was the place to sign your kids up for sports, swimming lessons and all sorts of fun community activities.
In 2018 it was decided, all those good times would come to an end, at least at this facility. USA Properties and the Ventura County Housing Authority purchased the 13 acre community center site with plans to build a massive apartment complex.
At first, there was resistance to the plan. Several dozen Simi residents voiced their concerns at City Council meetings and challenged government officials and their corporate partners in court. The battle was lost however, and the plan to build was given a green light.
Early one morning in 2021 area neighbors woke to the sounds of cranes, tractors and wrecking balls – heavy machinery of various sorts and sizes were invited to take aim at the city’s historic community center.
Demolition crews smashed the front gates, broke down cinder block walls and ripped decades old trees from their roots.
The bull-dozing continued for days. Every little office, every help desk, counter and meeting room – The entire facility was demolished and hauled away.
One resident commented, “It all happened so fast! It felt like they knocked everything down and took it away almost overnight.”
No sooner was the building removed, the plan to replace the community center marched forward. Construction quickly began on a pair of large apartment complexes, The Landing at Arroyo and Vintage at Sycamore.
Cost of the new structure is estimated at just over $100-million.
When finished, the building will include over 300 apartment units with 99 allocated to low income seniors.
The 212 unit Landing at Arroyo is considered a market-rate community, with rents starting at $2,425 per month for a 1 bedroom, 1 bath. A three bedroom space will run over $3,000 per month.
The Vintage at Sycamore will feature 99 apartments for low-income seniors earning 50 percent to 70 percent of the area’s median household income.
Concerned neighbors and shop owners feel somewhat relieved to see the low-income portion of the new complex reserved for senior citizens. The perception being, seniors tend to be more invested in the community.
A customer at a nearby cigar shop commented, “Simi Valley needs to take care of its seniors. If this development can offer our seniors a clean, safe place to live, I guess I can support it”
“I just don’t want Simi to end up like The San Fernando Valley,” He said.
Stores in the nearby shopping center, still struggling due to Covid, are looking forward to the increased foot traffic the new development will bring.
Completion for The Landing at Arroyo and Vintage at Sycamore is scheduled for late 2022.
A comment on the Nextdoor App, regarding the massive new apartment complex read, “Simi can’t just stay a small po-dunk town forever. We need progress, we need nice things and we need people who will support our local businesses.”
What are your thoughts on the Sycamore Drive construction project? Leave a comment below.
Undoubtedly a wonderful written piece! Weve book marked it and mailed it out to pretty much all of my close friends simply because I know they are going to fascinated, thank you very much!