Simi Valley planners recommend approval of 80-unit apartment and church sanctuary at Lighthouse Bible Church site

The Simi Valley Planning Commission on May 14 recommended that the city council approve a tentative parcel map and planned development permit for an 80‑unit apartment complex and approved a conditional use permit modification to build a new sanctuary and parking changes on the remaining portion of the Lighthouse Bible Church property at 4910 Cochran Street.

The project would split the church’s approximately 5.3‑acre site, keeping the existing church and parsonage on one parcel and creating a 1.97‑acre Parcel 2 for an 80‑unit multifamily development to be built by Cam Coastal. The developer proposes 16 affordable units (10 low‑income, six moderate‑income) and is using density bonus provisions to reach 80 units on the site.

Staff said the proposal includes two three‑story residential buildings, a total of 108 on‑site parking spaces, roughly 9,500 square feet of new landscaping, rooftop or third‑floor courtyards and community amenities such as fitness centers, lounges and package lockers. The new sanctuary would be a 5,588‑square‑foot prefabricated steel structure with stucco and stone siding, added landscaping and additional parking on the church parcel; the existing 3,000‑square‑foot parsonage would remain.

“The reason why we’re doing this project is so that Lighthouse can sell the property and create money then to build their church projects,” project architect Mark Petit told the commission. Petit described a mix of one‑ and two‑bedroom units ranging from about 590 to 915 square feet, in‑unit laundry, solar panels and electric‑vehicle‑ready…