A project proposed for Wiley Canyon in Newhall that’s been talked about by area residents for months has a date before the city of Santa Clarita Planning Commission in March.
The Wiley Canyon mixed-use project is a development slated for just east of Interstate 5 and west of Wiley Canyon Road, between Hawkbryn Avenue and Calgrove Boulevard, according to city planners, who also hosted a site visit there last February.
The notice issued by the city called for a 277,108-square-foot senior living facility with 130 independent living units, 61 assisted living units and 26 memory care beds, as well as 379 multifamily units.
There’s approximately 8,914 square feet of ground floor commercial space in the plan, too.
The project’s buildings are proposed to range in height from one to four stories, with a maximum of 50 feet in height.
The plan also mentions improvements of approximately 50,660 square feet for publicly accessible recreation space, according to a notice shared this week by Planning Manager Patrcik Leclair.
The city is expecting to conduct the first public hearing 6 p.m. March 19, during the commission’s regularly scheduled meeting.
A project website has been set up for Wiley Canyon Senior Living by Link Senior Development, which talks about some of the details mentioned in the project notice. A representative with the company was not immediately available for comment Thursday.
The positives mentioned during the site visit included the potential for the housing to lessen the noise neighboring residents hear from the freeway and the promised road improvements a new development would bring.
Of course, also with new development comes the potential for traffic and parking concerns, which were also mentioned by attendees of the visit. The homeless situation and environmental concerns over the project’s proximity to the freeway were also mentioned.
The city’s notice also mentions several required off-site improvements, which include: a new roundabout at the project’s entrance on Wiley Canyon Road; and at the intersections at Wiley Canyon Road with Canerwell Street; and Wiley Canyon Road with Calgrove Boulevard.
The developer is also proposing Class I, II, and III bicycle lanes along Wiley Canyon Road from north of Lyons Avenue to Calgrove Boulevard, and along Calgrove Boulevard to The Old Road.
Other off-site improvements necessary for buildout include a new water line proposed within Old Wiley Canyon Road, a new storage tank and a new pump within an existing pump station.
The plan, which is expected to have its environmental impact review circulated very soon, includes the removal of four non-heritage oak trees and the encroachment of 19 oak trees.
The applicant is requesting entitlements for Wiley Canyon land that’s currently undeveloped.
The land has historical ties to the oil industry, and it’s named after Henry Clay Wiley, who filed the first claim on Wiley Canyon on April 12, 1865, according to SCVHistory.com. The 92-acre claim would later be purchased by former Rep. Charles N. Felton, who co-founded the company known today as Chevron.
