HOUSE CALLS BEING MADE TOWN HOMES EYED FOR EX-HOSPITAL SITE.

Byline: ANGIE VALENCIA-MARTINEZ Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - Developers are ready to tear down the old Simi Valley Doctors Hospital and turn it into town homes.

Simi Valley Hospital, which owns the property at 1850 E. Heywood St., accepted a proposal by the Olson Co. of Oxnard to redevelop the site, said Elaine Freeman, a consultant for the hospital.

It is now seeking to build about 75 units on the land, Simi Valley City Planner Sam Freed said.

The building is just under 39,000 square feet and sits on about five acres near Patricia Avenue, a neighborhood undergoing a transition from predominantly low-density, single-family homes to high-density, multifamily town homes and condos.

The Olson Co. would oversee the development, which will come before the City Council in May.

The council will hold the preliminary review on the request, which will determine whether developers can apply for a zone change. The current zoning is designated as commercial office, and they are proposing a change to high-density residential, Freed said.

If the council agrees to consider the request, the plan would go through a formal review process.

Councilman Glen Becerra said because the city is nearing build-out, these are the types of project likely to come to the city in the future.

``We're done building in areas that haven't been built,'' he said. ``Uses that are no longer viable will end up changing. You'll have some tear-down and rebuild.''

The doctors hospital property was purchased by Simi Valley Hospital in 1987 after it closed and is now used for office space and other educational purposes, hospital officials said.

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com

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