Supervisors Vote to Seek Funds for Off-Road-Vehicle Parkland

The county Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to seek $4 million in state funds to buy land in the Santa Clarita Valley for use by off-road recreational vehicles.

The board voted 4-0 to apply for money to buy two unspecified sites totaling 950 acres. The county has not yet selected the park location or locations, but county officials said the board had to act now to be eligible for land-acquisition money.

The board is awaiting word on an application it submitted to the state in June that would finance a $299,000 study to help the county design and select sites for one, or perhaps two, parks. County officials said specific sites will not be selected until after that study has been completed.

If the board selects a different site from those the county now favors--in Bee Canyon and on Briggs Road, both in the rural Agua Dulce area--the state would still provide the funds for acquisition, county officials said.

They said they want to select and develop the sites as soon as possible because of the growing popularity of off-road vehicles. The closing of Indian Dunes Park in Valencia in February, 1985, left off-road vehicle enthusiasts with few places in Los Angeles County to ride legally, said Dorothea Hoffman, who is supervising the site selection for the county.

Nearby residents, however, are expected to oppose formation of the parks.

Homeowners Voice Concern

Boyd Chapman, president of the Soledad Canyon Homeowners Assn., said that several homes are situated within or near the proposed Briggs Road site. “These people moved out here to get away from this type of activity,” he said.

One resident operates a riding stable a short distance away, and a trail used by many horseback riders runs through the site, Chapman said. Homeowners are concerned about noise, traffic congestion, fire hazards and the availability of water and emergency medical care, he said.

Henry Rodiger, president of the Agua Dulce Civic Assn., said the proposed Bee Canyon site, which runs parallel to the Antelope Valley Freeway, might be dangerous to motorists. He said association members will conduct a poll to determine how residents feel about the proposals.

Public hearings on the site selection will begin either in late August or September, Hoffman said.