KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Santa Clarita officials are set to discuss the environmental impacts of a mixed-use project in Canyon Country featuring over 500 residential units and an ‘upscale’ shopping center.
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Discussion about the Sand Canyon Plaza draft environmental impact report (DEIR) is on the agenda for the March 21 meeting of the Santa Clarita Planning Commission.
“I’ve been involved with the land since 1985, and it’s been a mobile home park all that time,” said Tom Clark, Sand Canyon Plaza LLC, managing member of the project.
The mixed-use project, first proposed in 2002, would replace an existing mobile home park located on the northeast corner of Sand Canyon Road and Soledad Canyon Road, with a commercial plaza and 580 residential units.
The 80-acre site encompases the Canyon Breeze Village mobile home park that includes 123 units. The developer plans to purchase the remaining mobile homes and relocate the residents.
“We first gave the residents notice about 10 years ago,” said Clark. “We bought out all of the units at above market value — most of these people have moved on, only about five homes remain.”
The 722-page draft EIR for the new project analyzed the impacts to air quality, soil, endangered animals, greenhouse gas emissions, traffic and much more.
“The Project will have significant and unavoidable impacts to air quality regarding operational impacts associated with the development,” said the report. “These are typical for a mixed-use commercial and residential project of this size — there is no feasible mitigation to reduce these emissions to a less-than-significant level.”
The draft EIR attributes these air quality impacts to the increased traffic due to the over 500 new residential units to the area.
“The environmental impact for the project is at the same level for projects of similar size,” said Clark. “There are no endangered species or plants on the property — we made sure to take the environment into account during planning.”
The project first brought to the planning commission in 2002, consisted of two separate projects.
The original plan included 50 acres for the plaza and 30 acres for the 580-unit residential project, owned by Royal Clark Development Co.
“We were able to take control of the whole property with one developer,” said Clark. “We sat down to work with the city in planning and proposed the new plan that we have now.”
Sand Canyon Plaza is now one project on 80 acres and includes 580 units: 148 single-family homes, 120 attached townhomes and 312 apartments. Additionally, 55,600 square feet of retail commercial (including restaurants) and a 75,000 square-foot (up to 120-bed) assisted living facility.
“The whole project will have an upscale feel,” said Clark. “Sand Canyon Plaza will have a water feature and the architecture is not going to be your normal retail shopping center look.”
The planning commission will review the draft EIR and listen to public comment during the March 21 meeting.
The commission could take action as early as the May 16 meeting and make a recommendation to the City Council, according to city officials.
After 10 years of notifying the residents of the future development and paying above market values…..Why are their still 5 mobile homes remaining that are not owned by Mr. Clark and his company?
The City approved Vista Canyon Ranch over the objections of many many Sand Canyon residents, even though their EIR stated there would be thousands more trips on Soledad Canyon Road. Vista Canyon adds about 1100 residential units; now they want to add another 50%+ of that with no additional road/street infrastructure — we long term residents will be stuck in gredlock trying to live our regular dailey lives. BTW, why does the water company (CLWD) keep pushing existing residents to conserve water but keep promising these multimillionaire developers that they will have enough water to overbuild our Eastside community.
Just wait people, you think traffic is bad now. You’ll have to leave at 5am to get out of this valley by 7am and to work by 9am.
I would simply request that hillsides, ridgelines and current land that are at this point not developed remain undeveloped – and the problem of increased traffic be solved by significantly reducing the number of housing units. The Vista Canyon Ranch has apparently not taken these into account e.g. building in the river bed and flood plain, significant addition of expected traffic with almost certain gridlock. Further erosion of natural areas in the Sand Canyon area along with even more traffic is not environmentally sound planning.
Very concerned about the traffic impacts this will have. Would prefer a scaled down version. We don’t need that many residential units.
I understand growth is necessary so if we continue to build we have to expand our roadways. The 14 freeway keeps bottle necking down until you get to a two lane At Soledad . We need to expand the freeway and expand Sand Canyon. My thought is to make it a wide thorough fare across Sierra highway all the way to Plum Canyon. It would relieve a lot of unnecessary traffic other areas. And PS don’t screw it up like you did on Newhall Ranch Road by putting in 20 lights .
I have not heard a thing about the schools in that area? Sulphur Springs elementary is not set to accommodate the increased traffic or influx in students with an additional 580 homes. How do they plan on relieving school traffic that is already horrible at Sulphur Springs? Drop off and pick up is already dangerous with minimal parking. Parents and children park in the dirt and dart across the street to get their children to and from school. Rumor is nothing will be done to improve this issue since the school doesn’t have funds to build and the developer is not going to provide any relief. My son goes to school here and I dread all of this coming. I love the quiet rustic feel of the school off Sand Cyn but it seems that will all be replaced with loud obnoxious grid lock traffic. Traffic is already horrible in this valley!!! And even scarier… pollution will increase significantly to unsafe levels as our children play on the playground outside next door. The peaceful beauty and large ranch style properties are what makes Sand Canyon so desireable. 1000+ new residents and businesses are about to change all that. What about our kids? Who is looking out for them, their health and the safety of the families that live and attend schools in this area???