Weste, council ask staff to secure rent-free temporary location for radio station during construction
Plans announced last May are now expected to be presented at Santa Clarita City Hall next week, but they’ve already drawn some concerns about the potential impacts.
Back in May, the Serrano Development Group, which built Newhall Crossings on Main Street in 2020, submitted preliminary plans for about 3,300 square feet of retail space, 51 apartments, underground parking and 74 parking spots on the three-way corner of Main Street, Market Street and Railroad Avenue.
The city of Santa Clarita released the plans Thursday, two days after The Signal filed a Public Records Act request to see them. The Signal’s request was made before the City Council held an unscheduled discussion of the project during its meeting Tuesday night.
The new plans indicate an expanded footprint and more units being sought for approval.
The project is a full-block development consisting of the demolition of the existing structures — Mac’s Pool Supply (24316 Main St.), Horseshoe on Main (24300 Main St.), and the historical Masonic Lodge/Courthouse (22505 Market St.) buildings — to construct a new five-story mixed-use building approximately 52 feet in height.
“The ground level includes approximately 5,300 square feet of commercial floor area and ground-level parking within the building footprint,” per the plans. “The upper levels include 78 apartment units. A total of 122 parking stalls are proposed within one subterranean and the first-floor levels.”
The developer is asking for approval, saying “it will contribute positively to the local economy, provide much-needed housing and enhance the overall vibrancy and sustainability of the area,” according to the application.
Councilwoman Laurene Weste expressed optimism about the plan at Tuesday’s Santa Clarita City Council meeting during her council member comments. The project was not on the agenda for the evening’s council meeting.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Weste praised the staff’s ongoing work on the new plans with the developer and then brought up a concern on behalf of a local radio station, KHTS, which operates next door to where the construction would take place.
“Their problem is the new construction is pretty noisy and they need a quiet area to be in temporarily,” Weste said on behalf of the media outlet, which did not make any public request at the meeting during comment. “I wanted to ask the council if we could have staff look into assisting the radio station with a possible place, for modular, to be temporarily until construction is done, and it would be at no cost to the city — just to direct staff to go and take a look at that.”
Shortly after making the suggestion, Weste turned to her colleagues on the dais and asked if they would be OK with it.
“Sure, I have no problem with that, especially at no cost to the city,” Councilwoman Marsha McLean said. There was no discussion of any associated costs for staff time with the apparent action.
“Everybody good?” Weste asked the council again.
Councilman Jason Gibbs said he doesn’t “have an issue with the discussion,” a sentiment Councilwoman Patsy Ayala supported, which led Mayor Bill Miranda to declare, “It’s unanimous.”
Weste thanked her colleagues, commended the staff and then again expressed excitement about “what’s coming to downtown Newhall.”
There was no discussion of the potential cost of staff time for any potential public-private gift to the radio station. It is not known at this time what the city’s cost in staff hours for the work on the request would be, or whether any fiscal impact has been calculated.
When asked about the discussion and council actions that weren’t on the agenda, Carrie Lujan, communications manager for the city, wrote “it is not uncommon for the City Council to direct staff to assist or conduct research on various topics,” in an email Thursday afternoon. “However, such direction requires consensus, which was given at the council meeting in this instance. Any action requiring a formal council vote would be brought back for consideration at a future meeting.”
When asked about a potential precedent for such city assistance, Lujan mentioned recent help the city gave the local homeless shelter, which unlike the radio station is a nonprofit organization.
“The city also assisted Bridge to Home in finding alternate sites for the shelter, first during COVID when they moved operations to the Newhall Community Center, and then in securing the temporary site on Pine Street,” Lujan wrote.
Public notices put up recently announced the project would be in front of the city’s Planning Commission at a March 18 hearing.
Weste said Thursday the request, which was not associated with any action on the agenda, was about “accommodating a temporary space for a modular to go,” she said, adding that the developer would be required to pay for the modular and she hoped the city could find a free space to give the station.
No discussion was held publicly about the potential monetary value of providing property to be used rent-free, and it was not clear whether that would be on city property or private property.
A representative for the Serrano Development Group said she was not immediately available Thursday to comment on the city’s request.
City officials have expressed optimism about the plans in part due to the success of SDG’s recent work in the area, Newhall Crossings, which was key in the revitalization of that area.
That project was a mixed-use space with 20,000 square feet of retail, 47 residential units and a 372-stall parking structure.
