The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday its support for the City of Santa Clarita’s proposal to “streamline” building approval.

The Job Creation Overlay Zone (JCOZ) would streamline the current building requirements for developments under five stories in an effort to attract high-paying jobs to Santa Clarita, according to Jason Crawford, manager of economic development for the City.

“There is an amount of uncertainty for some businesses when trying to move to a new building,” Crawford said. “This zone would streamline the process and get rid of some of the ‘red tape.’’

The proposal only applies to commercial areas in the city, such as the Valencia Industrial Center, and is not expected to be near homes.

“As our business community continues to grow with new business moving here and local company expansions, it is vital for the City of Santa Clarita to provide appropriate development opportunities that meet current and future needs of business which bring high-paying jobs to our city,” said Nancy Starczyk, chair of the board for the SCV Chamber of Commerce.

The SCV Chamber also supports increasing beyond the proposed allowable height on office buildings to six stories, and to establish an equivalent height for industrial buildings as well. These efforts support the goal of attracting more Class-A office building developments with high-quality, high-paying jobs, officials said.

The City of Santa Clarita continues to be ranked as one of the most business-friendly cities in California, and the Job Creation Overlay Zone would further that reputation to help open the doors for more businesses to locate to Santa Clarita with high-quality, high-paying jobs, according to officials.

In a letter sent to the City Council and the City Planning Commission on behalf of the SCV Chamber Board of Directors, John Musella with Evolve Business Strategies wrote that the SCV Chamber Board supports “the need for the City to seriously consider increasing the allowable number of stories for office buildings to six stories and establish an equivalent height for industrial buildings as well. Now is the time to ensure our planning efforts help create more high-quality jobs in the City of Santa Clarita.”

As noted at the 2019 SCV Economic Outlook event in March, economic and real estate experts expressed the need for increased building height as a noteworthy change in regional market demand.

The JCOZ is expected to help make Santa Clarita more competitive by creating a higher level of confidence for business owners when looking to locate and build in Santa Clarita, according to the chamber.

The Santa Clarita City Planning Commission is set to review the proposed JCOZ at the next regular meeting Tuesday.

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