A three-story storage facility in Saugus is headed before the Santa Clarita City Council for consideration following design changes approved by the Planning Commission on Tuesday.
The project, located at the southwest corner of Golden Valley Road and Valley Center Drive, proposes a 156,000-square-foot self-storage facility that is nearly 58 feet tall and offer amenities such as 1,200 storage units, 21 parking spaces, of which 16 would be gated spaces, a business office and a gated entry with after-hours access for customers.
On a 2-acre site, which is currently vacant, the facility will be three stories with a clock tower but would architecturally appear as a two-story building to blend in with surrounding commercial buildings, including another proposed two-story commercial proposal near the storage project site, according to Jim Goodman of James Goodman Architecture, which has partnered with the project developer Horne Partners LLC.
“I think the visual impact of the building will read more like a two-story building than a three-story building,” he said Tuesday during the Planning Commission meeting, adding that the floor-to-floor heights are 3-4 feet lower than in a typical commercial structure.
The project’s design changes in terms of keeping the structure from appearing too tall included lowering the clock tower by 4 feet.
The project calls for changing the land use from community commercial to business park for the purpose of building a 57-foot-tall structure that exceeds 35 feet in height, as well as promotes economic opportunity for business and the community, according to Ben Jarvis, associate planner with the city.
Upon discussion of the project, which received 10 letters in support, commissioners suggested the addition of an electric vehicle charging station, more landscaping along Golden Valley Road and stipulated that the proposed clock tower should be repaired for any damage within seven days rather than 30.
After the commission’s unanimous vote, the project now moves to the City Council for its consideration at a future meeting.
The Planning Commission is expected to further discuss a housing development on Bouquet Canyon Road at its Oct. 6 meeting.