SIMI VALLEY : Shell Reapplies for Station, Carwash

Shell Oil Co., whose plans for a gas station and carwash in northeast Simi Valley were rejected last year amid strong neighborhood protests, has reapplied for permission to build the business, city officials said.

The oil company’s new proposal will be reviewed by a neighborhood advisory panel next month and by the city’s Planning Commission, tentatively in mid-November.

Although some design changes have been made, Shell still wants to put gas pumps, a small carwash and a food market next to a new McDonald’s restaurant at the northwest corner of the Simi Valley Freeway and Yosemite Avenue, city planners said.

The Planning Commission rejected Shell’s original proposal in a 3-2 vote last August after nearby residents complained that it would create traffic, noise and crime problems. When Shell appealed, the City Council deadlocked 2-2, leaving the commission’s decision in place.

Shell executives could not be reached for comment Thursday regarding their revised proposal.

Eileen Gordan, co-founder of Citizens for a Safe and Scenic Simi Valley, said her organization is gearing up again to oppose the gas station. She said the new McDonald’s has created traffic problems in the area and predicted that the Shell station would make the situation worse.