Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Builders to Seek Exemption for Seniors Housing Project

In a hearing today, developers will ask the city Planning Commission to exempt a 64-unit housing project for low-income senior citizens from several city zoning requirements that would drive up the cost of the proposed apartment building.

The Canterbury Village Retirement Corp. wants to use a $4.3-million federal grant to build housing for very-low-income seniors in Valencia, providing Santa Clarita allows it to hedge on requirements for building height, open space, trash areas and storage space, as well as the number of trees and parking spaces.

Officials of the Glendale-based Southern California Presbyterian Homes, parent company of Canterbury Village, say the project--proposed as three stories--would be too tall and too expensive to be built under current city regulations.

Santa Clarita’s Planning Department is recommending approval of the project, citing a 1991 study that shows that the city needs affordable housing for senior citizens.

“We are way below what a city our size requires,” said planner Rich Henderson, who estimated that the city needs about 4,000 more units. Henderson said far less low-income senior housing is available in Santa Clarita than in either the Antelope or San Fernando valleys.

Residents near the proposed development, however, have expressed concerns over the project’s impact on traffic, safety and property values.

“It’s not a bad idea, it’s a terrific idea. . . . It’s picking the right location,” said Patrick Milton, president of the Old Orchard One Homeowners Assn. “We’re only against it in its current form.”

Milton said his organization is concerned that the 1.25-acre lot that the project is being proposed for is too small and that the building would draw traffic onto residential streets.

The typical resident of the proposed development would pay 30% of his or her income, or about $150 a month in rent, with the federal government subsidizing the rest, company officials said.

Nearby homeowners say they are hopeful, however, for a compromise and welcome improvement of the property.

“Everyone is happy that something nice can happen to the ugly baseball field that currently exists there,” Milton said.

If approved, the housing would be ready for use in 1995.