Council initiates formation of Preservation District.

Tuesday night, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution that effectively begins the process of forming an Open Space Preservation District.

The initiation allows for an engineers report that would follow the Landscape and Lighting Act of 1972. The report would help the City form what goes on a ballot that they hope residents will pass, which would give them the ability to levy an annual assessment on property to pay for purchasing and preserving undeveloped land.

An open space initiative had been voted down in the past, and many believe that it was due to the initiative being too vague in regards to how long the tax increase would be for and other issues.

The City hopes to hammer out those problems this time around, and have incorporated many citizens and environmental groups into the planning process.

When referring to other options, City Manager Ken Pulskamp said that the City cant just deny people from developing land they own. "Property owners have a right to build on their property," he said. "So that leaves us with few options. If we buy the land, it takes it out of the development mix."  

The next step would be to receive and process the engineers report, and then give the public a chance to comment on what they believe should be included in the ballot literature.   

The City's hope is to preserve the open space that surrounds Santa Clarita.