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Canyon Country Community Center plans have upset a few Santa Clarita business owners who’ve found relocation a troubling proposition.
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The decision to build the center was made several years ago, after the need for a permanent center with more programming was brought up, said Carrie Lujan, Santa Clarita’s communications manager.
A temporary center has been operating near the intersection of Via Princessa and Sierra Highway on Flying Tiger Drive since 2013.
The new center will be built on the corner of Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway, where Canyon Country residents will be able to gather easier due to the neighborhood’s access and walkability, city officials said. The property for the center contains 6.5 acres, and was purchased for $4.56 million with an additional cost of $1.6 million for the relocation of tenants, all which total $6.16 million.
The Santa Clarita City Council approved the Canyon Country Community Center Master Plan on June 28, 2016. At this time, a conceptual master plan was released, which showed the parcels that would be acquired by the City to implement the plan and which businesses would be affected. Presumably, the city considers this the first notice to business owners, although a few business owners who spoke to KHTS News are claiming they actually were notified in person much later.
Once offers were made to the property owners in May 2017, the relocation consultants began working with all the business owners, according to city officials.
However, the business owners say communication with the city’s relocation services began last week.
Ten businesses are currently operating on the land, and all have been offered relocation services for being displaced.
“They hadn’t told us, ‘Here’s the notice — you gotta leave,’ until (August 24),” said Nick Avakyan, owner of Sierra Auto Care.
City officials said the outreach effort began back in May with tenants receiving program details and written notices of relocation benefits. In addition, the relocation consultants also interviewed business owners to assess their relocation needs.
However, the offers haven’t worked out for all of the businesses.
“This is our general office, our corporate office,” says Michael Gamel, owner of Mexpress Transportation Inc. “Basically, we don’t have an option and that’s what they told us, but they’ve been very proactive about that recently. They were here (August 24), and they had a moving company come to look to see what’s going to happen.”
Affected businesses include: Mexpress Transportation Inc., Sierra Auto Care, 4G Wireless/Boost Mobile, Eternal Art Tattoo, Caruso Restaurant, Hairwave, Joe’s Shoe Repair, Doggie Den, Aguila Landscaping, and Just Passing Through.
Although the businesses are receiving help to relocate, some of the possible relocation sites aren’t suitable for certain businesses.
“We’re looking at four or five places, but the problem I’ve ran against is that most of the property here that’s for lease is more for a storefront, retail, and there’s not a lot of office space,” said Gamel.
(Here’s a draft proposal of the plan, from the city of Santa Clarita)
The new center will be built on the corner of Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway, where Canyon Country residents will be able to gather easier due to the neighborhood’s access and walkability, city officials said. The property for the center contains 6.5 acres, and was purchased for $4.56 million with an additional cost of $1.6 million for the relocation of tenants, all which total $6.16 million.
Two restaurants on Soledad Canyon Road will remain, Toppers Pizza and Casa Vieja.
Sierra Auto Care knows it’ll have to move, but a location hasn’t been found to suit its needs.
“They thought we were like a small mechanic shop that maybe they could relocate us to Ruether,” said Avakyan, “but once they saw the numbers and amount that went into it, they just couldn’t.”
The city touted the benefits of the new location in an email to KHTS News in response to comments from business owners, in addition to noting the map and plan was released in June of last year.
The Canyon Country Community Center will have on-site parking along with traffic improvements such as a pedestrian crosswalk island next to Sierra Auto Care’s current location.
The new community center plan sports a gym, computer technology room, teaching kitchen, community and fitness rooms, open play areas and outdoor walkways, according to the city of Santa Clarita.
The existing Canyon Country Community Center will no longer be operating once the new center is built. The goal is to break ground in 2018 for the new center, with construction finished and programming implemented by 2020.
“It’s going to grow,” said Gamel, regarding the plans for the Santa Clarita’s new center, “and you can’t fight (the city).”
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As it is not mentioned, I don’t know what the purchasing process was between the city and the property owner(s). As renters, I would think that the businesses were always at risk of losing their use of the property. That the city included monies to mitigate this loss is to be applauded and these business owners should be glad for that rather than thinking it is the city’s responsibility to make them whole.
Well said, thank you.
Thank you Kelly.
It’s odd that the City didn’t buy the old bank building that sat empty for years. Glad that Toppers, the new tenant, is going to be allowed to stay. The real problem that I see is that the existing parking for Toppers is going to be shared now with the new community center
From what I see, the diagram shows parking wrapping around Toppers and separated from the community center parking. If there is an issue it may be between the two restaurants with regard to the shared parking lot.
It looks like the Sherriff will have to do foot patrols for this center. There is potential for gang activity as it is designed now.
If so, then the added patrols in the area would benefit the surrounding community as well.
That’s right people this is for Jakes way trash and the addicts that shoot up at the Darcy library… Put it in Valencia not more trash in Canyon Country we will get more homeless this is bad and not for the Tax payers.. Waste of our tax money
Great… something new for the gangs and homeless to destroy. SCV is turning into Van Nuys.
What’s wrong with locating a new community center at Sierra Highway and Flying Tiger? There are lots of seniors in that apartment building, there is a defunct car wash on the corner that wouldn’t have to be moved (because it’s already closed) and the existing center is just across the street. It could be used for peripheral activities. I don’t see why thriving little businesses have to move when there are sites available with no businesses attached.
Great idea. That would be a good spot.
This is all from a City that prides itself on being business friendly.
The demographic of Santa Clarita is a majority white but the sign on the property is a majority of non whites. Why does the City have this discrimination in their advertising?
I feel bad for the new restaurant that opened up a few months ago. When they took over Caruso’s they were under the impression they wouldn’t have to move. The owners of Caruso’s were told they wouldn’t have to move by the city, which is why they sold it. Like Mark said, that’s our “business friendly” city.