Town Council to discuss soil permit in Castaic 

View from above the Commerce Center in Valencia. 070121. Dan Watson/The Signal
Share
Tweet
Email

The Land Use Committee for the Castaic Area Town Council is scheduled Monday night to discuss a plan proposed for the Valencia Commerce Center, which is part of the neighboring unincorporated community. 

The proposed project is a request for a solid fill conditional use permit, which would allow the lot within the center to accept approximately 1.35 million cubic yards of dirt “from ongoing construction projects that require soil export.” 

The applicant, The Newhall Land and Farming Co., a subsidiary of Five Point Holdings, is looking for a permit to accept the dirt in a 33.3-acre lot that sits directly east of Chiquita Canyon Landfill, according to the property parcels identified in records with the L.A. County Assessor’s Office. 

The Land Use Committee’s agenda identifies the lot as “west of Commerce Center Drive, generally bounded by Franklin Parkway to the north and west, Castaic Creek to the south and the Logix office building to the east.” 

The proposed permit would bring the elevation of the now-vacant graded pad “up to the elevation of adjacent Franklin Parkway, consistent with the development grades anticipated” in the project’s master plan. 

There are two lots associated with the permit application, including one on the eastern portion of Valencia Commerce Center. For reference, 33.3 acres is 1.45 million square feet. 

Developed by Newhall Land and FivePoint Communities, the Valencia Commerce Center business park is estimated to be about 1,200 acres of industrial, office and retail uses at build-out. 

The agenda states that L.A. County does not anticipate the project generating a lot of additional trips because the lot is intended to address projects already expected to take place in the area. 

“The origin of the accepted soil material is anticipated to come from ongoing construction projects in the region such as Metro’s I-5 North County Enhancements Project over a period of approximately three years,” according to the agenda. 

A representative for Five Point was not immediately available Monday afternoon to discuss the plan. 

Alex Garcia, with the county Department of Regional Planning, indicated Newhall Land began the permit process in October 2023. 

When asked whether the lot would be able to accept soil from Chiquita Canyon Landfill, which is currently undergoing multiple remediation efforts after months of chemical smells and toxic leachate were reported, Garcia said there’s no agency that would regulate soil acceptance, unless there were a problem reported. 

He also said his understanding of the landfill’s current situation is that the facility is looking to acquire soil for its remediation efforts. 

Garcia also indicated the permit request was in the initial phases, with county records indicating only 10% of the necessary steps have been taken as of Monday. 

A public comment period for residents’ comments would be open until the hearing for the permit, which has not yet been scheduled, he added. 

To view the virtual meeting, go to bit.ly/3zzdpJK. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Related To This Story

Latest NEWS