A proposed 100,000-square-foot senior assisted living facility will be on the Santa Clarita Planning Commission’s agenda Tuesday, July 6, when the commission will meet in person for the first time since early last year.
The 2.2-acre project site located near Canyon Country Park on Soledad Canyon Road has housed the large vacant building since the height of the Great Recession, according to Ben Jarvis, an associate planner with the city of Santa Clarita.
Mainsail Capital Group LLC, the project developer, will undergo an architectural design review and hearing for a conditional use permit to entitle the site for assisted living operations.
Bill Anz, a business development officer with the company, said Mainsail Capital, which he said is not new to the assisted living and senior housing industry, found a shortage of assisted living and medical needs-based housing in Santa Clarita.
“If (an individual has) specific needs for assistance and living that we can accommodate and take, we can actually drop below your traditional aged number based on the medical application,” Anz said of the facility’s possible demographic composition.
The proposed plan would allow for up to 214 beds, though the exact number will vary depending on residents’ needs, Anz said. The developer also plans on removing 40 street-level parking spaces to create outdoor space for residents.
“There are two floors of underground parking, so the total the building has is north of 400 spaces, and for senior housing, we don’t need anywhere near that much,” Anz said, noting the facility will feature several amenities in addition to the green space to create a “hometown feel within the building.”
Jarvis said the city sent more than 700 letters to nearby properties to notify them of the proposed project. Thus far, he said he hasn’t received any response from the public, who can also comment on the project in person during the meeting.
“One of the reasons why we have the public hearing is so that issues can be vetted if the community has concerns,” Jarvis said.
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission is scheduled to meet in Council Chambers at Santa Clarita City Hall on Tuesday, July 6, at 6 p.m. The meeting agenda will be posted on santa-clarita.com at least 72 hours before the meeting.
