Vote Delayed on 2,131-Unit Development

Protesting Sand Canyon homeowners persuaded the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission on Monday to postpone a decision on whether to allow a developer to build 2,131 housing units in an area where the general plan now allows only 300 homes.

After a two-hour public hearing, the commission continued the matter until May 9 and scheduled a trip to the site April 11. Commissioners Lee Strong and Sadie Clark said they do not believe that the developer provided justification for the commission to approve an amendment to the general plan, which the project requires.

Other commissioners said they are concerned about the project’s density and its impact on traffic, water, schools and the environment--potential problems that most bothered residents speaking at the hearing.

The development is proposed by Santa Fe Development & Mortgage Corp. on a 1,296-acre site near the Antelope Valley Freeway and Via Princessa adjacent to the southern border of the city of Santa Clarita.

Freeway Congestion

Santa Clarita Councilwoman Jan Heidt, a Sand Canyon resident, told commissioners that by approving the 5,400-home Canyon Park development, they had “created a monster” by generating more traffic for the freeway.

That project, being built by Jack Shine, is between the proposed Santa Fe project and expensive homes in Sand Canyon. It was approved by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors last year over opposition from residents and Santa Clarita officials.

The Santa Fe development would greatly add to the congestion on the freeway, Heidt said. It also would contribute to landslide danger and threaten wildlife in nearby Placerita Canyon, she said.

Heidt and other residents said density in the project is too great.

Maurice Ungar, a realtor and unsuccessful Santa Clarita City Council candidate, said the development’s multiple-family units are inconsistent with the general plan.

“It’s the finest looking project I’ve seen,” he said. “But density is a real consideration.”

Commission Chairwoman Betty Fisher noted that the general plan now permits 300 homes on the land.

“We feel the project does fulfill the goals of the general plan by offering some upper-end housing in the Santa Clarita Valley,” said Santa Fe spokesman Robert Lacoss. It includes 49 estate-type residences, 1,138 single-family homes and 944 townhouses, he said.

The development also will include a school site, room for a fire station, neighborhood commercial buildings, an equestrian center, golf course, clubhouse and other recreation facilities and a 90.2-acre equestrian paddock area, Lacoss said.