CITY MAY CONDEMN LAND; HOLDOUT OWNERS IN COCHRAN EXTENSION RISK ACTION.

Byline: Douglas Clark Daily News Staff Writer

The City Council might begin condemnation proceedings against two landowners who have failed to reach an agreement that would allow developer Stanley Rothbart to build a $1.6 million extension of Cochran Street.

James C. Basile of Newbury Park and Adrian Murphy of Woodland Hills have been notified that the city might use eminent domain to acquire 1.3 acres to provide access to Simi at the Plaza, a 308,000-square-foot shopping center near the Ronald Reagan Freeway and Madera Road that will include a Wal-Mart and Home Depot.

Assistant City Manager Don Penman said an agreement could be reached before Monday, when the council is set to debate the issue, but that negotiations with the developers have been sticky.

Rothbart had hoped to break ground on the $40 million project in time for the retail center to open by next November - in time for the holiday shopping season.

``We're hoping to be able to break ground in February,'' he said. ``This is really the last remaining hurdle.''

Rothbart said four other landowners who own property at Madera Road and Cochran Street have agreed to a sale, with Basile and Murphy being the only holdouts.

Basile did not return phone calls.

And Murphy said he has agreed to sell Rothbart a separate 30-acre parcel he owns, but that complex circumstances have hampered negotiations for the smaller parcel.

He added that this would not be the first time a city had taken land he owned through eminent domain, in which land is sold at a price determined by the courts.

``It looks like something the city is going to pursue. I've been condemned before. You make the best of what you can do,'' he said.

Mayor Greg Stratton said there are many reasons landowners would choose to go through the condemnation process, rather than agree to a buyer's offer.

``People do condemnations for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes there's tax reasons, or personal reasons, or liability reasons,'' he said. ``It's extra work for us, but if it makes everybody happy . . .''

Before the city could take the 77-foot strip of land, a hearing must be scheduled to determine whether such an action is in the public interest, Stratton said.

Last fall, Rothbart asked for the city's assistance in acquiring the right-of-way needed for the road. Although Rothbart will pay for the construction of the Cochran Street extension, the city will reimburse him with federal money received annually for community development.

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