Pop culture toy company expanding local footprint

LOVE FOR TOYS—Jason Labowitz, co-owner of Entertainment Earth, walks by a stack of “Star Wars” merchandise in the company’s Simi Valley warehouse in March 2016. File photo by MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

Entertainment Earth has secured unanimous approval from the planning commission to construct a 209,524-square-foot building on a 3.3-acre site.

The proposed facility would include warehouse space, a distribution center and offices for the Simi Valley-based company, which in a 20-year span has exploded from a garage-based startup to a pop culture toy giant serving collectors, stores and gift shops across the globe.

The 903 Quimisa Drive site is near the Simi Valley Animal Shelter on W. Los Angeles Avenue. It is also bordered by a railroad and a regional county park to the north, an RV contractor to the south, a vacant storage yard to the west, and Alamos Creek and a vacant lot to the east.

In 2013, the City Council approved a business park at the site with six buildings covering 166,517 square feet by a different applicant. Grading and road improvements were completed, but the project never entered the construction phase.

In 2018, the planning commission approved a modification to raise the building pad’s grade by 14 feet. However, the entitlement expired in 2021 before building permits were obtained.

Most of the site had been graded by the previous applicant before Entertainment Earth acquired the property in 2022 and submitted its proposal. The project will stay within the existing building pad area, limiting grading to prevent impacts on Alamos Creek.

The building will feature 190,000 square feet of warehouse space, along with 8,000 square feet for offices and a 7,000-square-foot mezzanine. The site will have more than 200 parking spaces and 24 loading docks at the rear.

New landscaping spanning 69,700 square feet will be added, though seven Coast Live Oak and 10 California pepper trees will be removed. To offset this, the applicant will plant new trees or contribute to the city’s tree mitigation fund.

At the planning commission’s Feb. 21 meeting, members of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority expressed concern about the project’s impact on wildlife movement in the area. However, Alexandra Clingman, a city associate planner, said updated biological reports show no mountain lion activity on the site. She said the project’s size is consistent with the previously approved plan and wouldn’t disrupt the wildlife corridor.

Operating hours will be from 7 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. weekdays.

On Jan. 11, the development received a unanimous 9-0 recommendation for approval from Neighborhood Council 3.

John Matthews, the project’s construction manager, highlighted Entertainment Earth’s 13-year presence in Simi Valley. Since 2011, the company has operated a distribution center and offices at 61 Moreland Road. It also leases a 68,000-square-foot building in the Tapo Canyon Commerce Center at 1860 Tapo Canyon Road.

David Young from NAI Capital said Entertainment Earth—­which sells everything from Superman figurines to Barbie dolls—is expanding and aims to continue growing in Simi Valley. It employs about 300 people, half of whom work remotely, and seeks to increase its workforce here.

While plans are in place to maintain operations at the Moreland Road property, Entertainment Earth may end its lease at the Tapo Commerce Center, he said.

Planning Commission Vice Chair Ivana Mayer commended the project, noting that environmental concerns were addressed and the approved size is smaller than originally proposed.

Commissioner Ken Rice admired the project’s design and thoughtful planning, although he remarked on the abundance of parking spaces.

“(If the new building with lots of parking) draws people to buy a lot of toys, that’s great. It brings in visitors so let’s go for it,” Rice said.

Commissioner John Tolson liked the idea that the employer will stay in the city.

“The fact that we’re saving jobs in Simi Valley as opposed to moving them elsewhere is fantastic,” Tolson said. “I think the area is perfect for this type of project.”