MACY'S TO OPEN SIMI STORE SANTA CLARITA ALSO VYING TO ATTRACT RETAILER.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

VALENCIA - In the race for a miracle on Town Center Drive, Santa Clarita got trumped again by its safest-city rival, Simi Valley, when Macy's department store announced it had committed to open an 110,000-square-foot store in the planned Simi Valley Town Center.

No solid promise has been made by Macy's or its parent company, Federated Department Stores, as to when the hoped-for store will open in Santa Clarita.

``I would expect an announcement in 2004,'' said Charles Gill, general manager of the Valencia Town Center, adding that negotiations with the department store have been ongoing.

``We've been working with Macy's for 11 years and we're still working with them. All I can say is that we continue to try to interest them in the community. They look at growth and what kind of investment they want to make in the market.''

Once a commitment is obtained, construction will take about a year. Gill said there is space for the store at the east end of the Town Center between J.C. Penney and Sears, with access from Citrus Street.

``Macy's and Nordstrom have been the two most-requested stores for the past 10 years,'' Gill said. ``While everyone's in love with the demographics of the region, we need the population. The challenge is we have a minimal market to the north and west.... for now. Our effort is to be in front of the curve relative to the growth.''

Approximately 12 million shoppers a year pass through the Valencia Town Center, and Gill hopes that adding new stores such as Macy's will increase those numbers.

``Enhancements over the last year certainly speak to the market, he said. ``The new stores have done well.''

The demographics of the two cities are remarkably similar, with median incomes only $261 apart; Santa Clarita reports a median income of $73,030, while Simi Valley reports a slightly higher figure, at $73,291. The median age of Santa Clarita residents is 33.4, with Simi Valley reporting a slightly older population, averaging 36.6 years old.

Housing costs in both communities vary. According to the Simi Valley city Web site, housing costs range from $180,000 to more than $1 million. The average resale value of a single-family home in Santa Clarita is nearing $400,000, according to the Southern California Association of Realtors. Only in population does Santa Clarita come out ahead by a long way: Simi Valley's most recent figures report 117,983 residents, while 162,900 people reside within Santa Clarita's city limits. But Simi Valley borders other cities while Santa Clarita is isolated by mountains.

Groundbreaking is anticipated soon on the Simi Town Center, which has been in the planning for more than a decade, according to city officials. The center will be located on a 129-acre site along the north side of the Ronald Reagan Freeway between First Street and Erringer Road, with a grand opening planned for sometime in 2005. Along with Macy's and Robinsons-May, which announced its intention to be located in Simi Valley, approximately 120 additional retailers and restaurants are expected to be a part of the new center.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com