County Traffic Panel Opposes Newhall Ranch Development
The Ventura County Transportation Commission opposes a draft plan to build a 70,000-resident community just across the county line, saying that not enough thought has gone into the impact on local roads.
Transportation planner Steve DeGeorge told commissioners Friday that builders of Newhall Ranch, which would be located near the Golden State Freeway and California 126, underestimated the number of vehicle trips the project would add to Ventura County roads.
He also complained that descriptions of the project were vague, and not enough property was set aside for mass-transit rail projects from Ventura County to Santa Clarita.
“The project would be analogous to plopping down the city of Camarillo on our county line,” DeGeorge said.
The Newhall Ranch project, the largest single development ever proposed for Los Angeles County, would include 25,000 homes, more than 90 acres of commercial space and a 260-acre business park.
Project consultants estimate that 2% of the traffic generated by the project would affect Ventura County roadways. But county planners say the figure could be twice that estimate.
The whole project has “far-reaching effects that the draft [studies] do not address,” he said.
Los Angeles County officials are expected to again consider approving the huge development project.
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