After reading the excellent letter by Glenda Roybal in the Dec. 17 edition titled “Negligent Planning” regarding the lithium battery storage facility at 18358 Soledad Canyon Road, I shared it with a group of Santa Clarita residents on Facebook. I was surprised by the shock and disbelief about how this could have happened and was asked to provide more information.
To that end, I reached out to Tony Maldonado, who is investigating how this project was approved during the Planning Commission stage. Tony provided me with the following details, which I have his permission to share in this letter:
The project was approved by three commissioners on the city’s Planning Commission on Dec. 7, 2021. The commissioners were Dan Masnada, Rebecca Skye Ostrom and Tim Burkhart.
On July 29, 2021, City Manager Ken Striplin emailed the City Council, stating that all residents within 1,000 feet of the proposed development were notified by mail about the project. Based on conversations with numerous residents living within 1,000 feet of the project’s perimeter, none, including myself, received this alleged notification.
To date, no residents, property owners, property management teams, or HOA board members from the following communities have reported receiving any notice about the project, including but not limited to: Sierra Canyon Apartments, Sierra Park Mobile Home Park, Canyon Villas Senior Apartments, Park Sierra Apartments, Granada Villa Mobile Home Park and River Ranch Townhomes.
To understand the gravity of this situation and the danger it poses to residents, I encourage readers to revisit the following letters published in The Signal: Diane Zimmerman, “Lithium Plan a Highly Charged Issue” (Dec. 11), and Glenda Roybal, “Negligent Planning” (Dec. 17).
Diane Zimmerman
Valencia
