Santa Clarita Proposes Stricter Limits on Hillside Construction : Growth: Development of housing and shopping centers on ridgelines would be banned under the law, expected to win council approval.

Santa Clarita unveiled a proposed ordinance Monday that would impose stricter limits on development of the city’s hillsides and ridgelines than in the surrounding, unincorporated portions of Los Angeles County.

If the City Council approves the ordinance in November, as expected, developers will be unable to build houses or shopping centers on top of most of the city’s prominent ridges. They would also have to meet strict criteria before being permitted to build on hillsides with grades of 10% or more.

In contrast, county regulations that now apply within the city apply only to certain hilly areas--those with grades of 25% or more--and do not prevent construction on top of ridges. Many projects that the county allowed to be built on top of ridges, including housing tracts visible from the Antelope Valley Freeway, would not pass muster under the city’s new ordinance, said Christine Trinkley, Santa Clarita’s principal planner.

But certain types of development, including parks, observatories, riding academies and public streets, would be allowed on top of ridges, and it is possible that exceptions could be made for other types of projects if they were not too obtrusive in computer simulation tests, Trinkley said.

“This is not a straight-out and total prohibition, but it is our intent to keep the most significant hillsides and ridgelines clear” because residents have urged city officials to do so, Trinkley said.

Some developers criticized the proposed restrictions Monday, saying they will reduce the amount of land available for building and drive up the cost of housing.

“The whole development climate in California is just getting more and more restrictive every day,” said Zev Vered of P & V Enterprises of Sherman Oaks, which already has city approval for 161 single-family houses in Canyon Country. “It’s terrible for everybody.”

But local homeowners praised the ordinance, although they disagreed about whether it eliminates the need for an annual cap on the number of new housing units. A local group, Citizens Assn. for a Responsible Residential Initiative on Growth, or CARRING, is collecting signatures to place an annual limit of 475 new housing units on the April ballot. It would be the first such limit to be applied in the city.

The hillside and ridgeline ordinance “will reduce densities in the city, but it won’t regulate how fast houses get built,” said Maureen Focht, a CARRING member. “We still need a growth-control initiative.”

But Scott Voltz, a spokesman for Santa Clarita Residents for Responsible Planning, which opposes the growth cap, said the hillside and ridgeline ordinance demonstrates that “Santa Clarita doesn’t need a growth cap to have responsible, well-planned development.”

Three of the five council members said Monday they will vote for the ordinance in November after the Planning Commission reviews it this month. The city will hold a meeting to explain the ordinance Monday at Sierra Vista Junior High School in Canyon Country.

“It doesn’t bother me to have houses built on top of ridges, but I will support the ordinance because the majority of people would rather not have the ridgelines disturbed,” Councilman Howard (Buck) McKeon said.

“It’s definitely more severe than what the county has, but that is what people here are asking for,” Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy said. Councilwoman Jill Klajic, the sole supporter on the council of the growth-control initiative, said she will vote for the hillside and ridgeline ordinance but is concerned that exceptions can be made for projects favored by council members.