KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
A project over a decade in the making, Sand Canyon Plaza, has been approved by the Santa Clarita city planners this week, the development is now set to be discussed by the City Council.
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The Planning Commission has approved an 80-acre project on Sand Canyon Road and Soledad Canyon Road that includes over 50,000 square feet of retail space and 580 residential units, according to the agenda item.
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.
“I’ve been involved with the land since 1985, and it’s been a mobile home park all that time,” said Tom Clark of Sand Canyon Plaza LLC, managing member of the project in a previous interview.
The 80-acre site encompasses the Canyon Breeze Village mobile home park that includes 123 units. The developer plans to purchase the remaining mobile homes and relocate the residents.
The 722-page draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the new project analyzed the impacts to air quality, soil, endangered animals, greenhouse gas emissions, traffic and more.
“The project will have significant and unavoidable impacts to air quality regarding operational impacts associated with the development,” stated 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 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 space (including restaurants) and a 75,000 square-foot (up to 120-bed) assisted living facility.
The mixed-use project is now set to be heard by the Santa Clarita City Council next month, according to city officials.
Yes, proof that global warming & drought are a hoax!
I wish the City Council would grow some balls and finally do something for the citizens and that would be not approve this project. There is no water, too much traffic, too much crime associated with the type of housing that is to be built. The environmental impact study should be enough to stop this project.
If they approve this project I hope everyone votes these folks out of office. This would just prove they are in bed with developers. Remember our last city manager Ken Pulskamp? Well he went to Burbank and brought his high density city planning skills with him. He is packing in new mixed use developments like he did here. The people of Burbank hate it but they have the same type of City Council that we have. They pass these projects against the wishes of the citizens. It is not time for the Citizens to take action and take our City back. Make Santa Clarita Great again before they destroy it beyond the point of no return
Agreed!! All the low income housing at Jakes Way and up Via Princessa has already brought much crime and violence to this side of town, yet we still need to drive through it from Sand Canyon to get to any decent shopping areas. Look at the statistics… It is ridiculous Valencia gets high class shops and medical plazas while we get low income housing. And lots of it! I have been in this town in the same house since 1985. I have seen this town go from friendly and peaceful to mean and borderline unsafe. My frequent liquor store got broken into two nights in a row. On top of that the people who try to contribute to society in a positive manner do not qualify for the housing anyways… So who does it help? My friend a single mother makes $1000 every two weeks and still can’t even qualify for government help on “awesome” Obamacare let alone low income housing. So, I ask you this, who are we helping with all of this low income housing? Answer the question in your head and call city hall and cry out to save Canyon Country!! Are the people sitting in their chairs on the other side of town really looking out for our best interest? Or are they just looking out for their own to ensure we get all of the crime including drugs, rape, robbery and yes even murder on our C.C. side of town. Like the previous post says, if you check the statistics you will see. Please fight this project. We need more extra curricular activity on this side of town not more people to drive through and risk being robbed to get to our places of fun, business and relaxation.
Sorry, but just want to add one thing. Look at the brand new building sitting between Canyon Country Park and the Facey Medical Building. That was supposed to be a Medical Plaza. It got stopped and fenced up. It has been sitting since 2008. But we do not need Medical I guess. So let’s just make a big deal about this Sand Canyon thing instead. Come on Santa Clarita!!! If you were my employer I would be filing favoritism grievances already… Let’s get the Medical built! Let’s get some shopping enters! Approve a satellite police station at least!! If Santa Clarita will bring Canyon Country down at least give us cops that can respond in less than 3 hours.
This is a much needed addition on the Canyon Country side of Santa Clarita. I’m looking forward to the new retail opportunities. I appreciate how Santa Clarita has spread out the growth so that we are not over crowded. Environmentalists will try to stop everything, we need to just keep moving. We have already approved open space areas which I was for but we do need homes and retail spaces. This is good news and I’m looking forward to it. We don’t live in a utopia, people will always commit crimes, people will always use water, there will always be traffic.
This is going to make the traffic problems along the 14 even worse. Terrible idea. You have no clue what you’re talking about. Go back to New York, or whatever congested area you were spawned from.
It would be informative and valuable if the names of Council members who vote for or against measures, were posted as a reference for future elections.
That information should be available in the RECAP/minutes of the meeting. It is up to you to track their votes on the items that concern you.
Good old drawbridge mentality: We’re here, now don’t let anyone else in! What about our kids? they can’t afford to buy or rent in most of the SCV right now. So maybe that’s who “low cost housing” will benefit. I’m sick of CC people whining about how they get mistreated. Remember that Valencia residents paid through the noses for all those parks, paseos and green areas. It was part of the cost of their homes. When CC residents were offered the same, they immediately voted down a tax increase that would have given them all of those amenities that the “favored” Valencia residents have. (And no, I don’t live in valencia!)
We need additional housing here in SCV! Rent is sky high due to the lack of inventory and it’s a great place to raise children! I resent ignorant people stating CC is crime ridden due to as Ro Jo stated “low income housing” between Jakes Way & Via Princessa! Everybody here isn’t “low income” and “low income” doesn’t bring crime! Fact of the matter is we do need additional housing and shopping places as we have grown here in a beautiful valley! It hasn’t been “Little House on a Prairie” in over 40 years!
Where in this article does it say “low-income” housing? Not everyone wants to or can afford to live in a house. Mixed use includes: apartments, townhouses, and single family house, with retail space for utilization by the residents.
Maybe those of you who are against mixed use housing are in favor of the Canyon Country homeless population growing! Oh, I forgot you and your city council don’t believe there our homeless individuals living in the Santa Clarita Valley! Please look outside yourself and think about your fellow man.
I agree in stopping this project. True what someone said about that medical plaza that’s now fenced up. Do we have to go to the city hall meetings to speak against it?
I respect all of the opinions that have been posted here. My view is this; initially I was not for this development and I live very near it. One of my neighbors in our local neighborhood blog suggested that if I was that much oppose to this project that I should get more involved and speak up. I did. I went to the planning commission meetings to be there for the discussions and be more informed. After asking questions, reviewing the developers-environmental impact report, the traffic mitigation report and all the other reports they are required to provide I changed my mind. The city planners really drilled the developers on making sure he does as much as he can to address all the major issues we are concerned with, pollution, traffic, crime, school, impact to the environment, esthetics, job creation. I urge our neighbors in canyon country to go back and review these minutes which are all available on the city website. To complain about an issue without getting involved is really just complaining. I look forward to the development as it will give me and my family a place we can go for entertainment and actually walk to.
Sorry didn’t mean to make that a reply to your comment Abner