The Santa Clarita Planning Commission denied a plan to build more than 300 homes and a large warehouse at the property now owned by the Santa Clarita Swap Meet on the site of Saugus Speedway.
Just as the twice-weekly market appeared headed for the checkered flag once again, the lot’s owner said the property may have a few laps left.
“It’s a fluid situation,” said Doug Bonelli, who was representing the family trust that owns the property at City Hall on Tuesday, in a brief phone interview after the meeting.
One thing that seems unlikely is that the plan Integral Communities pitched for the property will go through, as it fails to meet the zoning minimums for state housing requirements, per the commission.
Speaking in favor of approval, Planning Commissioner Tim Burkhart said the board’s rejection of the plan, which ended up coming in a 2-2 tie — the same legally as a denial per the commission’s bylaws — rang hollow.
He said the next project that comes along for the area could be much worse, under state housing laws. The project was opposed by Commissioners Rene Berlin and Lisa Eichman. Patsy Ayala voted in favor.
The Planning Commission itself acknowledged Tuesday it doesn’t deny very often — plans before the group are usually worked on with city staff for months or even years before they’re brought up for discussion by the commission.
But the applicant’s refusal to budge on the number of moderate- and low-income homes being built on the 35-acre lot failed to come close to the requirements and would have meant other properties would have to be reassessed, a concession the commission wasn’t willing to make.
The news for Bonelli, who once again appeared eager to be done with the swap meet Tuesday — going so far as to offer his assistance to anyone else who would like to take it over — means the swap meet is continuing for now, he said.
When asked about the desire he had to close the swap meet after October, which he told the council, he said there were a lot of things to consider still. That was still his desire, but he added that it was a family discussion.
He expressed remorse for the hardship the uncertainty was putting on his staff, vendors and customers.
John Musella, a spokesman for the development, confirmed Integral Communities would appeal to the Santa Clarita City Council, with hopes for a review of the project by the end of October.
Problems with Riverwalk
Planning Commissioner Rene Berlin raised numerous questions about the project, namely:
“I think there’s an overarching question and a concern — the project is building 30% less units than identified in the housing element,” she said.
Her main issue, which was seconded by Eichman, was the 474-home gap between the area’s zoned capacity and what’s being proposed. That gap includes more than 140 affordable-housing units that would need to be built elsewhere.
By calling for more than 90% of the homes to be market rate, the plan also depletes the city’s state-required amount of moderate housing for the area, she said, which also could create challenges for planners down the road.
Berlin said she was trying to avoid using the term “perfect storm” for the project, but there were a number of problems.
“We don’t have the density, we don’t have the low-income, the affordable housing, we don’t have the moderate-income housing,” she said, referring to the city’s state-mandated five-year Regional Housing Needs Assessment, which dictates how many homes must be available in an area.
“And additionally, it’s the second project that we’ve gotten in the last two meetings that doesn’t meet the floor for the mixed use,” she added, referring to the percentage of the project that would be for commercial space, which the developer identified for light manufacturing.
Burkhart’s argument was that a developer could come along next and seek to build anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 units, using density bonuses required to add housing, and with its proximity to a transit center, the city wouldn’t be able to require any parking.
Eichman said she didn’t like approving anything under those circumstances, likening it to bullying, to which Burkhart agreed.
She said the developer failed to address any of the housing-allocation issues, which Integral Vice President Peter Vanek said repeatedly was a nonstarter at this stage of the planning process for the project.
