Growth Limits Linked to Rising Enrollment

In its strongest move to control development to date, the Santa Clarita City Council has pledged to reject development proposals that would overwhelm school districts with new students.

Developers would only win city support, the council said, if they agree to cooperate with the Santa Clarita Valley’s five school districts to handle rising enrollments.

The council unanimously approved a two-page resolution establishing the policy late Tuesday night. The resolution, which codifies what had been an informal practice by the City Council and Planning Commission, was approved with little comment.

The resolution said the city will consider the potential impact on schools when it reviews requests for zoning changes and general plan amendments. The council passed the resolution at the urging of the William S. Hart Union High School District and Saugus Union Elementary School District, where educators say rising enrollments are outstripping district services.

In effect, the council pledged to abide by a controversial state appellate court ruling that gives cities and counties the power to reject zoning changes for housing developments that would crowd schools. The decision in Mira Development Corp. vs. the city of San Diego, rendered by the state Court of Appeal last November, has been praised by school districts and education associations as a way to clamp down on growth.

The City Council’s policy puts it at odds with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which has been advised by County Counsel De Witt W. Clinton to ignore the Mira decision because it could violate a state law that sets a limit on how much money developers must contribute for schools.

To win the support of school trustees for projects, developers might be forced to make concessions of land or money to have their projects approved by counties or cities, Clinton said. Such concessions could surpass requirements of state law, which already force developers to pay school districts $1.56 for every square foot of residential construction.

Santa Clarita City Atty. Carl K. Newton said that the county counsel misinterpreted the Mira decision and that the state Legislature’s legal counsel has recommended that cities and counties abide by the ruling.