Santa Clarita Growth Study Delays Ruling

Citing concerns about a new report that warned of faster-than-expected growth in the Santa Clarita Valley, the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission on Monday delayed for the second time a decision on whether to approve 2,131 housing units in an area now planned for only about 300 homes.

The commission in March had postponed its decision on the project, proposed by the Santa Fe Development and Mortgage Corp., to give members time to visit the site near the Antelope Valley Freeway and Via Princessa in Canyon Country.

But two weeks after the field trip, county planners released a report showing population in the Santa Clarita Valley is growing at a faster rate than had been believed. County planners had estimated a population of 270,000 for the area by the year 2010. The new projections, based largely on an increase in development applications filed with the county, estimated a population of 358,000 by 2010.

Planners who prepared the population report called it a “worst-case scenario” based on housing data drawn from development applications that have not been approved. The report warned of “the potential problem of approving a surplus of dwelling units.”

Commission members are expected to discuss the potential growth’s effect on public services on June 2. They said Monday they wanted information from that meeting before dealing with the large Santa Fe project on June 30.

“This is not the time for us to rush to decide,” Commission Chairwoman Betty Fisher said.

The project would include a school site, space for a fire station, a small shopping center, a golf course and an equestrian center. Robert A. Lacoss, a planner hired by the developer, estimated the project’s cost at more than $400 million.

Opponents of the project maintained that its size would cause traffic problems on area roads and add to overall congestion.

“Another 2,000 homes would be way too much for our valley to stand,” said area resident Bill Rex.

Others opponents, including Sand Canyon Homeowners Assn. President Dennis Ostrom and Santa Clarita City Councilwoman Jan Heidt, warned of the dangers of earthquakes and landslides at the site, which is near the San Gabriel Fault.