Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Saugus Residents Seek Changes in 1,550-Residence Development

Residents in Santa Clarita’s northern Saugus community are asking for a pair of developers to modify a nearly 1,550-residence project proposed in the nearby unincorporated area of Los Angeles County.

The project consists of four housing tracts jointly proposed by Paragon Homes and Davidon Homes, totaling 1,543 residences and encompassing 743.3 acres north of Copper Hill Road. Local residents and the two developers have participated in community meetings for months and are scheduled to appear before the Regional Planning Commission at 9 a.m. today.

“I think there’s still some room for improvement,” said Saugus resident Cathy Culotta, who along with neighbors has collected more than 550 signatures in the past week supporting an array of project changes.

They include trimming the number of residences to 1,307, forgoing construction on primary or secondary ridgelines, reducing grading from 11.7 million cubic yards and setting aside a different parcel of land for an elementary school.

Saugus Union School District officials are counting on the new 700-student Seco Canyon Elementary School, which is expected to open in September, 1994, to relieve overcrowding at Helmers Elementary School. They are hesitant to move the proposed school from the seven-acre site set aside by the developer at the end of Cypress Avenue.

“What they don’t realize is changing that site is going to delay that by at least a year,” said Supt. Troy Bramlett. “They may have a legitimate concern, but there are ramifications to what they’re suggesting.”