275-Room Hotel Proposed for Newhall : Builder’s 53-Acre Project Calls for Banquet Room, Apartments, Shops
A Torrance developer hopes to build the biggest hotel in the Santa Clarita Valley as part of a 53-acre development in Newhall that also would include office space, apartments, shops and a restaurant.
Abco Associated Investments, a partnership headed by developer Everett Wilson, needs zoning approval from the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission, but sources said the proposal in some form stands a good chance of passing.
Financing Not Arranged
Wilson estimated the cost of the project at $45 million, including $10 million for the land, which is west of the Golden State Freeway near the Lyons Avenue exit. He said financing has yet to be arranged, but should not pose a problem.
Besides a 275-room hotel, Abco plans 100,000 square feet of office space, 45,000 square feet of shops and a 10,000-square-foot restaurant. The number of apartments to be built isn’t clear but could be 100 or more, said Karl Hinderer, an engineer with the Woodland Hills firm of Joel Silverman & Associates, which is working on the project.
Abco hopes to gain approval for a higher-than-normal apartment density and for low-cost financing from tax-exempt Los Angeles County mortgage revenue bonds by agreeing to rent 20% of the units at below-market rates.
The five-story hotel would have a banquet room with a capacity of 350 people. Wilson said he will seek a franchise from Holiday Inn or another major chain, but Abco will own and run the hotel itself.
The banquet facilities are especially needed in the area, said JoAnne Darcy, an aide to county Supervisor Mike Antonovich, whose district includes the site. She said more than 200 membership groups in the Santa Clarita Valley frequently travel to the San Fernando Valley to hold large meetings.
Wilson said he has been in touch with county planning officials and community leaders, and believes he can get the necessary approvals. Wilson’s plans generally are in keeping with the county’s master plan for the Santa Clarita Valley.
Trees Protected
Norman Murdoch, director of the Planning Commission, said the Abco project needs commission approval for several reasons, including the current agricultural zoning of part of the land and the fact that the site has several dozen oak trees, which are protected by county law.
One, a rare horseshoe oak, is the only one of its kind in California, Darcy said. Hinderer said the project would preserve that tree, although some others would be removed.
The Santa Clarita Valley’s largest hotel is the Ranch House Inn off the Golden State Freeway in Valencia, with 186 rooms and banquet facilities accommodating up to 185 people. The hotel is owned by Amfac, and Ranch House marketing director Nancy Sevilla said she isn’t worried about the competition.
“The valley has been begging for additional banquet space and rooms,” she said. “If anything, it’ll enhance the valley as a destination and draw new business.”
There are three smaller motels in the Santa Clarita Valley as well, Darcy said.
Hinderer said Abco hopes to begin construction in late spring, and that the project should take six months to build. He said the site is vacant except for a single home.
Staff Writer Doug Smith contributed to this story.
