Project Hearing Held Over Councilwoman’s Objection

The Santa Clarita City Council held a public hearing on a hotly contested development project Tuesday night, despite impassioned objections from a councilwoman who wanted a delay to resolve allegations that a conflict of interest makes her ineligible to vote on the project.

Councilwoman Jan Heidt asked the council to hold off debate on three condominium projects proposed by G.H. Palmer Associates until she obtained a reply to her request Tuesday for an opinion from the state Fair Political Practices Commission on whether she could vote.

At issue are three projects totaling 2,400 units, and a development agreement that would allow Palmer Associates to build the projects in return for $30 million in road improvements.

Heidt’s husband, Gerald Heidt, owns property near one of the proposed projects and an attorney for Palmer Associates suggested in a letter to the FPPC two weeks ago that the property poses a potential conflict of interest for the councilwoman.

The council, on a 3-2 vote, delayed discussion of the development agreement and two of the projects. But the council did take testimony on a 103-unit project, known as Vista Terrace, after the developer, Dan Palmer, said prompt action was needed or he would lose financial backing.

Councilmen Howard P. (Buck) McKeon, Dennis Koontz and Carl Boyer III voted to hold the hearing, saying they feared that a delay could kill the development agreement. They also noted that Palmer said he had no qualms about Heidt voting specifically on the Vista 7/8Terrace project. But Heidt said she could not discuss any of the projects until she heard from the FPPC and left the council chamber when the hearing began.

With Heidt absent, the council approved the project 4 to 0.