The city of Santa Clarita is working on plans to build separate spaces at the former Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center site for two groups that you don’t always think of next to each other: artists and veterans.
But a longtime local desire to add more space to accommodate both groups is a big reason why it makes sense, but not the only one, according to Phil Lantis, arts and events manager with the city of Santa Clarita.
It’s something the city and Los Angeles County, which is transferring the site to Santa Clarita, have talked about for more than a half-dozen years, he said in a phone interview Wednesday.
The topic came up again during a recent meeting of the city’s budget team for the city’s fiscal year in 2025-26 and how the old senior center, which is part of the William S. Hart Park property, factors into that plan. The county gave formal approval for the transfer in August, but the assumption of the various facilities, animals and historical artifacts on about 160 acres is expected to run the city at least $2.6 million annually.
The facility hasn’t had a full-time use since the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center at Bella Vida, located off Golden Valley Road, replaced the Market Street location in 2019.
The building has had a variety of county uses since, including as a COVID-19 testing site during the pandemic and a vaccination center more recently.
But starting July 1, it’s expected to be in city hands, according to City Manager Ken Striplin, who said the final transfer now is pending probate court rulings.
“In anticipation of that, the city is looking right now with our building-assessment engineer to do a complete assessment of the building,” Striplin said last week at the City Council Budget Committee meeting.
The goal is to put together a plan that could be brought to the council for approval around the same time, with whatever the options are and any necessary renovations, he added.
Lantis said city and county officials have expressed interest in having separate spaces for veterans and artists since 2016.
They went “50-50” on a needs assessment prior to the start of the Hart Park takeover talks, he said, but the transfer talks ramped up as the plan approached its final draft, he said.
The recommendations made by the consultants hired, the Cultural Planning Group, were never formally approved.
“They put together a plan that kind of said, ‘Hey, a lot of these uses are similar, you know, meetings, events, gatherings, there all these things that could be complimentary.’
“So, the needs assessment basically said, ‘Yes, this is doable,’ and in fact, they got into the opportunities where those two things meet,” Lantis said. “There’s actually some very important programs that utilize art, visual arts, music, dance, all those things for veterans and their families to help them.”
