Santa Clarita City Council members and local residents celebrated the opening of a parking structure in Old Town Newhall on Thursday.
Mayor Laurene Weste, Mayor Pro Tem Marsha McLean and Councilman Bob Kellar started the ceremony at its ground floor, beaming at the crowd as they prepared to officially open it for business.
“Congrats, Old Town Newhall!” Weste said as she cut the ribbon, flanked by McLean and Kellar.
The council members were then driven in Mini Coopers to the stage on the top floor of the structure, waving to the crowd from the backseats.
Located on 9th Street between Main Street and Railroad Avenue, the parking structure will add 372 parking spaces to the Old Town Newhall area.
The project is one of three on the Redevelopment Block for Old Town Newhall, which also includes Newhall Crossings and the Laemmle Theatre. The rooftop where it was formally celebrated will now be available for special events, Weste said.
“It’s incredible to see how much can be done in a year,” Weste said about the structure’s building progress. “You can’t do anything here (in Old Town Newhall) without parking structures.”
Representatives from the offices of legislators Congressman Steve Knight, State Sen. Scott Wilk, and Assemblyman Dante Acosta were also present to congratulate the city on successfully adding more parking and with it, bringing in more business to Santa Clarita.
The structure is part of the Santa Clarita 2020 plan under the “Enhancing Economic Vitality” theme.
The Newhall Crossings groundbreaking event took place October 12 with construction continuing.
A groundbreaking for Laemmle Theatres is expected to occur August 2018, according to the city’s website, after which construction will commence.
The city approved sales in February 2016 for the development of the Laemmle Theatre, projected to include 7 screens and approximately 500 seats, and a Mixed Use Project estimated to include approximately 20,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 46 residential units with subterranean parking.
