Santa Clarita City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday evening to approve an expansion to the approved YMCA, a new senior center and age-restricted units in the Five Knolls.

Planning Commision members voted 5-0 to recommend the approval of the revision to Five Knolls at their June 2 meeting.

Rick Doremus, president of Synergy, presented the proposed revision at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

Doremus said that the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center in Newhall is “too small,” and “inadequate” adding that the SCV Senior Center and the YMCA are compatible.

“This will be a new social gathering place for seniors and people of all ages for the YMCA in the future,” he said.

City Council committed $3,000,000 to support construction of a new SCV Senior Center on Nov. 25, 2014, according to Tuesday’s agenda.

Council member TimBen Boydston was concerned about enough parking, traffic impacts and whether there was enough water.

Dan Masnada, the Castaic Lake Water Agency General Manager, confirmed the Santa Clarita Water District will be supplying the water for the project, adding that the revised project has less water demands and there will be sufficient water for the long-term project.

Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. analyzed the parking demand to ensure the parking will be sufficient.

The analysis found that the YMCA and the SCV Senior Center have peak hours and different times throughout the day, with a maximum parking demand of approximately 374 parking spaces at the peak for both.

Officials said 404 parking spaces will be provided for the YMCA and the SCV Senior Center which will exceed the UDC requirement of 391 parking spaces, 248 for the YMCA and 143 for the SCV Senior Center, by 13 spaces.

The UDC requires single-family detached condominium projects to provide a two-car garage for each unit, as well as guest parking stalls — 1 stall for every 2 units — evenly distributed throughout the development, according to Tuesday’s agenda.

Each proposed residential unit has a two-car garage, and the project site provides 82 guest parking stalls, in excess of the 77 UDC-required guest parking stalls, distributed throughout the project site, according to Tuesday’s agenda.

Mayor Marsha McLean raised concerns that the drawing of the proposed YMCA “looks like a warehouse… It doesn’t denote Canyon Country at all.” Her vote depended on a revision of the architecture of the building.

Doremus said that they can take another look at the design and if McLean’s vote depended on it, “we will absolutely take another look.”

Councilwoman Laurene Weste raised concerns about handicap accessibility issues for the age-restricted housing, such as hinges and guard rails that would be used in bathrooms but was for the project.

“It’s past time for a new senior center,” said Weste. “I can’t think of anything that’s more deserving than our kids and our elderly and it has my vote 100 percent.”

Councilman Dante Acosta raised concerns with the size of the proposed age-restricted housing. Acosta wondered if there was a need for two story homes with two or three bedrooms between 1,800 and 2,200 square feet, but was also supported the project.

Mayor Pro Tem Bob Kellar supported the new project, “this will make Santa Clarita great… What an opportunity for the Santa Clarita Valley.”

Most of the speakers during public participation supported the proposed changes to the project and urged the need for new SCV Senior Center.

“The senior center is something that a lot of us appreciate,” said Acosta, “and someday we’ll be using it in the near future.”