Although its possible construction and opening is not yet set in stone, the city of Santa Clarita Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission heard this week about the city staff’s vision for a new 33-acre park in Canyon Country.
The park, which is still going through an L.A. County approval process, would be named Via Princessa Park and be located north of its namesake street and east of Whites Canyon Road, along the south bank of the Santa Clara River.
In a presentation delivered to the commission, Janine Prado, director for the city’s Recreation and Community Services Department, said the park would fulfill both a recreational and educational need in the surrounding community.
Featured at the park, Prado said, will be four multi-purpose fields with sports field lighting, a new restroom building, walking paths, picnic areas with shade structures, educational opportunities and public art, as well as a regional infiltration facility.
These amenities, among others, Prado said, will result in creation, enhancement and restoration of the bordering Santa Clara riverbed habitat, public access to waterways, new recreational opportunities and educational opportunities in ecology, geology and water.
While much of the design phase has already been completed, and the area selected for the park is currently vacant, city staff said the project still needs to be approved and funded through Measure W.
Approved by L.A. County voters on Nov. 6, 2018, Measure W provides cities, including the city of Santa Clarita, with funding — through a parcel tax of 2.5 cents per square foot of impermeable land area — to complete/invest in infrastructure projects and programs related to water quality and reducing stormwater pollution.
“Infrastructure projects and programs will have nature-based solutions, water quality, water supply, and community investment benefits,” reads the city’s website. “Measure W funding will increase drought preparedness, improve water quality and public health, promote green jobs, and ensure investment in enhanced quality of life for the city of Santa Clarita’s residents and businesses.”
According to Prado, the feasibility study required by Measure W for the pending Via Princessa Park began in February 2021 and project selection through the county will commence in spring of next year. If selected, and barring any major obstacles, the city plans to begin construction on the park by 2025.
