Santa Clarita City Council members have approved a more expansive review of plans for a mixed-use development in Wiley Canyon, after residents gave about five times the feedback that was originally anticipated on the project.
The Wiley Canyon Development Project, originally proposed in 2020, is a plan to develop a four-story senior living facility, with its ground floor for commercial space, and 379 apartment units on approximately 31 acres east of Interstate 5 and west of Wiley Canyon Road.
In accordance with state law, before a project’s approval, the city must conduct an environmental impact review for significant construction, looking at the impacts, how they can be mitigated and potential alternatives.
This is the current phase for the Wiley Canyon proposal, and the report fees are ultimately paid for by the project.
Developer Tom Clark, who’s also developing Sand Canyon Plaza, promises that the facility and his grand plans for its main entrance will not only be something the community is proud of, but also will address a major need for senior housing, with its 130 independent-living units.
Those living near the project have made numerous complaints, but so far have focused primarily on the city not requiring the developer to make the frontage road for the project two lanes in both directions, concerns about traffic in an emergency and outreach for the project. Primarily Spanish-speaking residents from the mobile home park across the street from the proposed project, who have expressed fears the project will ultimately displace them, shared their frustrations recently at City Hall after learning about the project from news coverage of the first Planning Commission meeting, not previous developer outreach.
Clark acknowledged the outreach was not initially done in Spanish, but subsequently held additional meetings in response to requests from the Planning Commission.
After a handful of opponents asked the city not to continue spending what one resident described as “good money after bad” on the flawed project report, City Attorney Joe Montes clarified the purpose of Tuesday’s contractual change for the consultant.
“The contract amendment is to provide additional funding to the consultant to generate responses to comments,” he said. “It was anticipated that there would be 100 comments, there was 500 plus, and then there were also revisions to the site plan made at the direction of the Planning Commission.”
Any changes to plans for the site, which is known to longtime residents as the former Smiser Mule Ranch between Hawkbryn Avenue and Calgrove Boulevard, also would need to be addressed.
The notes mentioned by planners after a June review of the Planning Commission noted the following would be addressed, according to the city’s Planning Department:
“Preparation of simulations, renderings and exhibits including: traffic circulation on Wiley Canyon Road; necessary right of way acquisitions; visual representation of the project, both interior and exterior to the site; parking management for project operations and construction operations; emergency evacuation plans/operations; construction management plans and construction noise mitigation; and the full response to the comments.
“The project is currently in front of the Planning Commission, they are the deciding body on this,” Montes said last week at City Hall during the City Council meeting. “If and to the extent that planning commissioners feel that additional work is required or changes need to be made, that’s really their purview at this point.
“This project won’t come to the council until the Planning Commission has made a final decision,” he added, “and only if someone appeals it.”
