CUSTOM HOME TRACT GETS INITIAL CITY OK.

Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - A custom luxury home development, the first of its kind in Simi Valley, has received the initial OK from City Council members and now will go through the formal review process.

The City Council last week agreed to allow the operators of Lost Canyons to apply for a zoning amendment, the first step in getting up to 364 multimillion-dollar homes built on 1,770 acres.

The golf club opened in 2001 as two 18-hole public golf courses. Now, developers are asking permission to build homes on one course and turn the other into a private venue.

``I have mixed emotions,'' Mayor Paul Miller said. ``It's a different concept. I'm not certain I like the idea of it becoming private, but let's see what happens. It won't hurt to have high-end homes here.''

Miller added that despite the potential loss of the public golf courses, the city stands to gain parkland and trails.

Club officials have up to one year to file an application with the city. If they decide to move forward with the project, the plan would require a formal review by the city's Planning Commission and City Council.

``We have a long process ahead of us but we're looking forward to working with the city to come up with a project that we can both be proud of,'' said John McClure, vice president of Hillwood Capital, which owns Lost Canyons.

McClure said the project is unlike any other in Simi Valley. It presents economic benefits in the form of higher tax revenues and job creation and has the potential to attract business leaders who could relocate their businesses here, he said.

The homes would be built on land now occupied by the Shadow Course and surrounding area. The Sky Course would become private. The development could take up to 10 years to build out, depending how soon the lots sell and the homes get built.

Among the concerns raised by neighbors and council members about the development were traffic, the number of homes and the impact the project could have on schools and how the school district would accommodate new students.

Still, council members were willing to give it a chance for a formal vote.

``This is the last segment of housing that Simi Valley does not have,'' Councilman Glen Becerra said. ``We do not have a high-end, pure custom development where every home is custom-built, custom-designed. I'm willing to consider this project to go forward, but they're going to have to work with the neighbors.''

Angie Valencia-Martinez, [phone]

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com