The Santa Clarita City Council is considering the purchase of 176 acres of open space between Tesoro Del Valle and San Francisquito Road that will cost the city nearly $1.6 million.
Assistant City Manager Frank Oviedo said the land acquisition is part of the city’s effort to establish a greenbelt around the city.
“This is part of the open space district,” he said. “It’s a critical trail link to the Tapia Canyon area, which is west of the property. It allows our residents to seamlessly move in and out of the trail system.”
The property, which is bisected by San Francisquito Creek, is exempt from environmental review “as a transfer of an ownership interest in land to preserve open space and existing natural conditions,” according to city documents.
“The property is near existing residential housing developments and is being used by the public for hiking, biking, running, and off road recreation,” city records said. “Existing Los Angeles County trails cross this property and acquisition of this property will ensure trail connectivity between existing trails. A portion of the property that is in the San Francisquito Canyon riverbed is designated a Significant Ecological Area by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. This acquisition is consistent with the Open Space acquisition goal identified in the Community Beautification theme of the ‘Santa Clarita 2020’ Plan.”
