CITY LOOKS TO ADD LIFE IN OLD CORE; TAPO STREET IN TRANSITION.

Byline: Douglas Clark / Daily News Staff Writer

More than 30 years ago, the corner of Tapo Street and Los Angeles Avenue earned a quaint footnote in local lore when the city's first traffic light was installed there.

Decades later, the Tapo Street corridor is the recipient of another kind of distinction: It's the first commercial zone in the young city's history to require a revitalization plan.

Merchants like Jack Spotts, who 24 years ago opened Jack's Shoes, believe the whole city has a stake in the plan to renew this business area.

``I'm excited about the whole thing,'' he said. ``If we can make Tapo Street successful, we're going to have other areas in town that in time will also need help.''

The city will begin changing the look of Tapo Street in early 1998 by improving medians, landscaping and lighting, according to Don Penman, assistant city manager for economic development. One concept that is being considered is creating a boulevard effect by planting palm trees on the street's west side to mirror those already in place on the east side.

Although the City Council has allotted about $225,000 for the cosmetic improvements, Penman said the final design by RRM Design Group - which won't be complete until fall - could push that cost to $400,000.

``It depends on the final scope of the work,'' he said.

And about six merchants say they'd like to take part in a grant program the city is developing to help renovate store facades.

But Penman says that more than a face lift is needed to restore the economic vigor of the area.

Earlier this month, Penman and Councilwoman Barbara Williamson attended a seminar on urban revitalization sponsored by the California League of Cities. The two-day event reinforced some views already held by Penman and provided a few new insights.

``People all across America are looking for a sense of place, not a theme park. Tapo Street is not going to be a region center or a downtown, but it can be an extremely attractive shopping district,'' he said.

When Spotts opened Jack's Shoes on the corner of Tapo Street and Los Angeles Avenue in 1974, he had high expectations.

``We thought at the time it was the best place to do business in Simi Valley. There was a real nice mix of shops, and the street was busy,'' he recalled.

For many years Tapo Street was an active commercial zone, offering high-end men's and women's clothing shops, as well as department stores, said Spotts, who served on the Planning Commission from 1984 to 1989.

Even as other shopping locales developed in the 1980s, Tapo Street held its own because the Simi Valley population was growing.

``If you lost customers to another side of town, you had other people moving in,'' he said.

But changes were coming.

In 1992 the city extended Tapo Canyon Road, which provided direct access to the Ronald Reagan Freeway. That meant traffic that had naturally flowed on Tapo Street, which does not have a freeway exit ramp, dropped off by nearly 30 percent, Spotts said.

Another major setback occurred in 1994 when the Northridge Earthquake destroyed the buildings that housed Pic 'N' Save and Sears. Empty lots are all that remain of the two stores that helped anchor the business district.

Although the city has reviewed proposals for redeveloping the site, none of them were deemed appropriate.

``It may be that we're anxious to see something happen there, but we want it to be positive,'' Penman said.

Lisa Murphy, who for 12 years has been manager of a McDonald's, said that the one-two punch of the earthquake and the Tapo Canyon Road extension has caused business to drop 32 percent. Even the Golden Arches don't guarantee great profits.

``We're in the same boat as everybody else,'' she said. ``This was a main strip at one time. Hopefully, we can get that back.''

If money alone won't fix the sagging fortunes of the Tapo Street area, creating synergy with other neighboring areas might.

On Aug. 18, the City Council approved an environmental study that clears the way for construction of a two-lane $1.2 million bridge that will link the Tapo Street area with the Tapo Canyon Business Park on Guardian Street.

Though construction won't begin until next spring, city officials say it is a key factor in revitalizing Tapo Street because employees in the business park will have easier access to the area.

``Once that business park expands, I think Tapo can be a very viable business area,'' said Councilwoman Sandi Webb.

Williamson, who attended the revitalization seminar with Penman, said she envisions a trolley car route between Tapo and Guardian streets, transporting employees of corporations like Standard Abrasive, Guardian and Micom, which intends to open a new, larger facility by the fall of 1998.

``Maybe it's just a pipe dream, but that's one thing I'd like to see down there,'' she said.

But to make the area attractive, the city needs to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment. That could mean linking the small stores in shopping plazas with walking areas, and building new stores at the Tapo Plaza location, Penman said.

``The bottom line is there needs to be a reason for shoppers to want to go there. It has to have uses that bring people to the area,'' he said.

One event merchants hope will draw people is the Simi Valley Days carnival, Sept. 17-21, which was relocated to the Tapo Street area when its previous site became unavailable.

Murphy said the carnival is a great opportunity to reintroduce the community to Tapo Street.

``It's a chance for them to see other things that they didn't know we had,'' she said.

But Murphy said a complete revival will take some initiative and sacrifice on the part of merchants as well. For example, James Powell, who owns the Tapo Street McDonald's, spent $250,000 to install an indoor Playland after the earthquake, Murphy said.

``It takes each to do for themselves. They can't just sit around and wait for somebody else to do something,'' she said.