SANTA CLARITA : Developer Seeks to Expand Project

The Dale Poe Development Corp. is seeking approval to expand its Stevenson Ranch housing project near Santa Clarita by 1,119 housing units--about 80 of which would encroach on an officially designated sensitive oak woodland.

Dale Poe already has approval from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for 4,378 units in Stevenson Ranch, but has built only 800 units so far, said Jeff Stevenson, a company vice president.

The company seeks approval to build additional units on an 857-acre parcel next to its existing tract, which is west of the Golden State Freeway and south of Six Flags Magic Mountain. The parcel includes a 116 acres dotted with chaparral and oak trees that the Board of Supervisors has designated a Significant Ecological Area (SEA).

Last summer, the board strengthened policies intended to protect SEAs but did not ban development in them altogether. Under the company’s proposal, about 57 of the units would be built in a 90-acre portion of the SEA, and another 23 lots would extend into it, planner Julie Cook said. An eight-acre school site and part of a 12-acre park would also be in the SEA, she said.

An environmental report on the proposal will be released to the public this spring after county planners and other officials review it, Cook said. The county Regional Planning Commission is expected to consider the proposal this summer.