The Santa Clarita Planning Commission is set to further review the proposed 77-acre Sand Canyon Resort development and hear from the developer after commissioners ruled in November the project needed “some work.”
On Tuesday, commissioners are expected to review the project’s draft environmental impact report and hold a public hearing to hear from developer Steve Kim and hear from the public.
The project, proposed on the northeast corner of Sand Canyon Road and Robinson Ranch Road, calls for transforming Kim’s Sand Canyon Country Club into a resort and spa, with features including: four three-story hotels; 14 two-story villas; multiple dining options and outdoor recreation for trails, swimming, tennis and pickleball and an existing 27-hole golf course, as well as the removal of 21 non-heritage oak trees and a zone change from “open space” to “community commercial” for two of the four proposed site lots.
At a November meeting, Commissioner Lisa Eichman said the project “needs some work,” after questions were raised about the zone change, how traffic would be impacted by the increased number of vehicles, architecture in terms of how it could stay consistent with surrounding structures and whether the project is financially viable.
On the topic of the proposed zone change, for example, the EIR details the project would result in the permanent loss of 32.4 acres of open space within the resort area and the mitigation for the 30-plus acres is that the developer “shall acquire and dedicate to the city of Santa Clarita at least 32.4 acres of open space land in a location deemed acceptable to the city manager.”
“This is not satisfactory to the Sand Canyon community because that open space was granted ‘in perpetuity.’ That promise must be honored,” read a letter to city officials from Sand Canyon residents Robert and Kathy Bishop. They are among several other area residents who have expressed strong opposition to the project, citing the proposal could affect their quiet, rural community.
In the November meeting, Konnie Debreva, who spoke on behalf of Kim, a Los Angeles resident, said the project’s request is a legal one.
“This project is not encumbered legally by any conservation easement or any easement that requires it to remain as open space in perpetuity,” she said.
Commissioners are expected to hear more from city staff and the developer regarding these concerns.
The Planning Commission meeting is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting can be viewed online here: santa-clarita.com/agendas.
