Tentative OK Given for Explosives Plant
An explosives manufacturer received permission Thursday to open a plant on the site of a defunct defense plant in Santa Clarita Valley.
The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission tentatively approved a request by Special Devices Inc. to operate an explosives plant for the next 10 years on a 203-acre site in Sand Canyon east of the Antelope Valley Freeway.
The east side of the site was formerly occupied by Space Ordnance Systems, which had a long and troubled history, including the illegal storing and dumping of toxic chemicals.
The commission’s action was supported by the city of Santa Clarita and a county-appointed site monitor, who reported earlier this fall that the property had been cleaned up.
The Sand Canyon Property Owners Assn. opposed the plan, citing safety concerns and the desire to keep the area residential.
Special Devices already has a plant next to the old Space Ordnance Systems site and manufactures small explosives, such as the device that pops open air bags in automobiles and certain components of the Patriot missile, said Richard Frazier, the county’s supervising regional planner. The plant will provide about 350 jobs.
The commission is expected to give final approval Dec. 18 once county attorneys prepare the necessary legal documents, Frazier said.
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