Regional planners have approved the construction of close to 300 homes, 17 apartment buildings and half a dozen “multi-family” buildings for seniors in the Northlake area of Castaic and are now inviting the public to weigh in on the plan.
Phase One of a two-part housing development called the Northlake Specific Plan Project was given the green light by planners of the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning late last month.
A report that details how the housing project is expected to impact the Northlake environment was put together by the county.
The report – called a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Northlake Specific Plan Project – was presented last week to the public for public comment and review.
Public review period began on May 2 and continues until June 15. At the end of that period, all comments made are expected to be considered in the project final environmental impact report.
Northlake – once eyed as the site of the Castaic High School – takes in about 1,330 acres between Interstate 5 and Castaic Lake, north of Castaic.
The housing project’s first phase involves developing 720 acres. The second phase is expected to develop 610 acres.
Currently, the only notable environmental impact on the area now is the impact of cows grazing there.
Historically, for more than a hundred years, the area was used by cattle ranchers, occupied at various times in the 1800’s and 1900’s by settlement homesteaders, as noted by planners in their staff summary of the area.
About 600 acres of the site were acquired by legal homesteading in the name of William Cook in 1916 which became known as Cook Ranch.
The look of the land is expected to be much different once grading of more than 100,000 cubic yards of hillside begins.
Phase One of the Northlake project involves building 288 single-family homes, 17 apartment buildings containing 1,341 dwelling unit, and six senior “multi-family lots” that create 345 dwelling units for seniors.
The Northlake plan includes lots for:
– one commercial lot near the highway
– 4 industrial lots
– 10 parks – one public park, nine private parks
– 40 open space lots recognizable as landscaping areas, trails, natural open space, “private parklets” and “various other green spaces
– 2 water tanks
– 13 debris basins
– a water quality basin
– a water pump station
– a fire station
Anyone wanting to comment on the plan is invited to write to Jodie Sackett of the regional planning department: County of Los Angeles, Department of Regional Planning, 320 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012. They can also email the comments to [email protected] .
Anyone interested in examining the plan further can find in on the county’s designated website.
661-287-5527
on Twitter @jamesarthurholt
