KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
The proposed Sand Canyon Resort development returned before the Santa Clarita Planning Commission for a review focused primarily on the project’s potential environmental impacts in the community on Tuesday evening.
City staff presented their draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to the commission, which outlines the project’s impact in more than a dozen areas.
The project, also referred to as the “Sand Canyon Resort” project, would see the Sand Canyon Country Club add a three-story hotel with 241 rooms, a wedding hall, 23 villas, restaurants, a spa, a minigolf course and other amenities to the facility.
The Sand Canyon Resort would require the removal of 21 non-heritage oak trees and approximately 511,000 cubic yards of earthwork to be balanced across the 77-acre site, according to city documents.
A handful of Santa Clarita residents utilized the public comments section to voice their support for the proposed resort while more called in to voice concerns. Concerns that the Commissioners also echoed.
One concern raised by Commissioner Lisa Eichman was that the proposed hotel rooms and villas looked far too similar to apartments and townhomes, and that the property could be turned into residences.
“If this goes to community commercial, this can be converted to apartments,” Eichman said. “It looks like the hotel is apartments, the villas look like houses… evacuation on Sand Canyon and Robinson Ranch? There’s no secondary access.”
Other commissioners also voiced concerns on the lack of road access to the resort. Sand Canyon would be the only way in and out, and that already includes residents in Sand Canyon.
“The EIR needs to be re-looked at,” Commissioner Tim Burkhart said. “The big one for me is fire evacuation. Building density in the fringe firezones throughout California… I am going to have a hard time accepting this without a well planned out road.”
During construction, temporary lane closures may be necessary on Robinson Ranch Road, and construction equipment and vehicles may block Robinson Ranch Road and/or slow traffic on Sand Canyon Road, which could interfere with emergency response, including potential evacuations, according to the EIR.
However, the EIR noted that such construction would be temporary and would affect only a small portion of identified disaster routes at any one time.
If allowed, project activities such as site preparation and construction would be prohibited during the typical breeding and nesting seasons of native bird species such as the California quail and burrowing owls, which is typically between Feb. 1 and Aug. 31.
The EIR also notes construction noise and vibration, and deems the impacts of construction operations “significant and unavoidable.”
Additionally, downstream from the project, an 18-inch sewer pipe in Lost Canyon Road would need to be upgraded with future development in the area, as it is currently near capacity, and would not be able to support the influx of material from the completed Sand Canyon Resort project.
The potential expansion project has drawn criticism from a number of residents of the Sand Canyon community, who organized themselves as the ‘Stop Sand Canyon Resort Task Force’ in September 2019 to formally oppose the development.
Several residents submitted written comments before the Jan.19 meeting, expressing concern about the wisdom of allowing only 60 days for the project to be reviewed given holiday interruptions, new members of the planning commission and COVID-19 restrictions to public review.
On Tuesday night, the Planning Commission voted unanimously that another 60 days should be added to the project review window to allow further discussion by the commission and residents
The planning commission is not expected to further discuss the project until their meeting on March 2, 2021, the date recommended by city planning staff to discuss adjustments made to the EIR in response to Tuesday’s meeting.
The full draft EIR is available to view here. The full planning commission meeting can be watched here.
Ed. note: David Melnarik contributed to this report.
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What environmental impact this will have you ask? ALOT. Animals, cutting down oak trees which in 1987 was the emblem for our city, traffic and fire hazard. Sand canyon is only 2 lanes unless the plan is to expand that as well. This is devastating to our environment in SCV. Is there plans to cut the mountain between San Fernando Valley and SCV? This will make us a sitting duck for smog. Those hills have kept the smog out. How can the city just cut the oak trees like it’s no big deal? If a resident has an oak tree on their property it is like going through hoops to get anything done. I’m just saddened at the excessive growth to this valley.