Rezoning Paves Way for Industrial Park Near Castaic

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved zoning changes that clear the way for construction of a 1,436-acre industrial park near Castaic, overriding objections from the city of Santa Clarita and nearby residents who said the project would generate intolerable traffic.

The Valencia Commerce Center is designed to include 12 million square feet of retail, office and manufacturing space and is expected to create 20,000 jobs. A leading tenant will be the U.S. Postal Service, which plans to build a $26.8-million mail processing center.

With Supervisors Gloria Molina and Kenneth Hahn absent, the board approved zoning changes and amendments to the area’s General Plan by a 3-0 vote.

The industrial park is to be built on mostly vacant land north of Magic Mountain, near the intersection of the Golden State Freeway and California 126. The parcel was switched from agricultural use to industrial use.

County planning commissioners tentatively approved the project in October but ordered the developer, Newhall Land & Farming Co., to work with residents to redesign the roads leading into the complex. Negotiations had continued until this week.

Residents of Live Oak, a housing tract on unincorporated land near the proposed park, complained that traffic along Backer Road, one of the park’s entrances, would disturb their placid neighborhood.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the area, said Thursday that the developer and Live Oak residents agreed to some design changes to reduce or screen traffic, but he conceded that some differences still separated the company and homeowners.

Some homeowners wanted the supervisors to ban heavy trucks from Backer Road. Instead, at Antonovich’s urging, the supervisors prohibited heavy trucks from using the northern section of Backer Road between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. Newhall Land also must build a pedestrian bridge over the road and a sound wall, along with other highway improvements in the area.

Antonovich said the approvals granted Thursday allow construction of only half the project, adding that additional traffic studies must be conducted before the other half is approved.

But Lynn M. Harris, director of community development for Santa Clarita, complained that Thursday’s action virtually guarantees further zoning changes. Harris said road improvements planned for the industrial park are inadequate and that traffic studies failed to assess the effects of the project on neighboring Santa Clarita.