Plans submitted for 3,490 home development and mini-community in center of Santa Clarita.

A development proposal for the 996-acre parcel known as the Whittaker-Bermite property was submitted to planners at the City of Santa Clarita Tuesday afternoon.

The property is located just south of the former Saugus Speedway and Santa Clarita Metrolink station, between Soledad Canyon and San Fernando Roads.

The Midtown Project, as it is being called, is a mixed-use proposal that includes 3,490 housing units, shops and offices with more than 40 acres of parks and recreation facilities as well as more than 400 acres of open space.

The plan suggests a variety of housing types, from a walkable transit-oriented village near Soledad Canyon Road near the current Metrolink station to single-family homes and townhomes incorporated into the new commercial center.

The development may also include a shopping/lifestyle center, gathering and civic places and job centers, as well as a campus-like office complex that could attract jobs to the area. In addition, the project includes several roadway improvements, including feeder roads to the cross-valley connector.

The proposal is the brainchild of SunCal Santa Clarita, LLC, which is a partnership between SunCal Companies and Cherokee Investment Partners. The proposal’s submission should start the environmental impact report (EIR) process, for which a series of public hearings will be held, starting in 2009.

The site was a munitions production facility during World War II and continued manufacturing explosives until the late 1980s. A site cleanup was initiated when SunCal purchased the property and continues. According to SunCal, only 9 percent of the site remains contaminated and is being addressed during the cleanup process.

For information on the project, visit www.cleanfieldsantaclarita.com