SANTA CLARITA : City Opposes Project in Oak Woodland

The city of Santa Clarita will ask the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to overturn a decision allowing construction of a golf course and housing tract in an oak woodland designated as ecologically sensitive.

The Santa Clarita City Council voted 4 to 1 late Tuesday to appeal the county Regional Planning Commission’s approval of the 1,868-unit project, known as Westridge. Proposed by Newhall Land & Farming Co., the project would be built just west of the city on 798 acres, 306 of which were designated by the county 12 years ago as a Significant Ecological Area dubbed the Valley Oak Savannah.

The appeal will cost the city about $2,260.

Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy, who is also a field deputy to Supervisor Mike Antonovich, voted in favor of the appeal, saying she had questions about the ability of the oak trees to survive if the project was built as planned. Councilman George Pederson cast the sole vote against filing the appeal.