SIMI DAYS GET NEW LIFE ORGANIZERS RELIEVED TO RETURN TO OLD SITE.

Byline: ANGIE VALENCIA-MARTINEZ Staff Writer

Organizers of Simi Valley Days are breathing a sigh of relief after securing a location to host the weeklong city celebration this year, but the pressure to find a permanent site remains.

For years, planners have known their days at the Los Angeles Avenue and Madera Road site were numbered. The 16-acre parcel is slated for development, and the developer had hoped to break ground on 266 homes this year.

Peter Lyons, the city's deputy planning director, said the project proposed by Casden Properties, LLC, will likely begin the city's formal review process by late summer, and he didn't expect construction to begin for another one to two years, should the project be approved.

That means event organizers have at least one more chance to hold the annual September event at the site before being squeezed by development.

``It's a huge relief,'' said Jason Conrad, the chairman of the five-day event. ``Year after year we didn't know where we were going to be. Once the site is secured, we can focus on what we need to do to make it happen. The earlier we know, the more time it gives us to prepare.''

Next year, they'll need to find a permanent location to keep the tradition going.

Mayor Paul Miller, who sits on the Simi Valley Days Relocation Committee, said the fundraiser, which celebrate's the city's birthday, has become a fixture.

``We're looking at our options,'' he said. ``We have very little land left of that size that's available. ... We're going to keep trying. I'd hate to see us not have it each year.''