Plans for 128 units of affordable-housing project just north of Flying Tiger Drive in Canyon Country appear to be moving ahead, based on documents recently submitted to Santa Clarita City Hall.
Creekside Commons at 27200 Sierra Highway is to offer rent-only apartment units and 100% of them will be below 80% adjusted median income, with the final income mix dependent on funding availability and requirements, according to records obtained by The Signal. The property lot is currently vacant and abuts Metrolink railroad tracks on its northern border.
The developer, CRP Affordable Housing and Community Development based out of New York, is asking for a number of concessions on the project, as well as taking density bonuses that are allowed by state law because the project includes affordable housing.
In June, the developer submitted a justification statement, a project description and a drainage report on the plans.
“Since we are proposing a 100% affordable project with units designated as stated above, we are allowed a density bonus of 80%,” Bascom wrote in the application. “The CC zone allows for a maximum of 18 units per acre. The site is 3.96 acres, thusly allowing 71 units. A density bonus of 80% allows an additional 56.8 units rounded to 57 units totaling 128 units.”
The building would be a maximum of 45 feet tall, according to the plan.
The city’s Development Committee discussed the project in June 2023 prior to its approval that year, with committee members at the time — then-Mayor Jason Gibbs and Councilwoman Laurene Weste — with city staff noting there was little oversight council members had.
Senior Planner Dave Peterson said during the committee meeting at City Hall that subjecting affordable housing plans to a commission review would violate state law.
“So there’s no storage for any of the apartments and there’s no place for the children to play,” Weste said at the meeting to the plans offering about one-third less space than the city usually requires.
The concessions the developer was asking for primarily would remove amenities the city requires on behalf of residents, including: the communal swimming pool; 250 cubic feet of lockable enclosed storage space; private outdoor space; and a 6-foot tall masonry wall — which is proposed to be replaced by a 6-foot tall tube steel fence. The common open space requirement would be reduced to 6,500 square feet.
There’s also a slight parking reduction being asked for — the developer is asking to provide 88 stalls, which would be 0.69 spots per unit.
The original plan in June 2023 called for 20% of its units to be very-low income, which is defined as people making 15% to 50% of the average median income, and 80%, or 102 units, for those making 50% to 80% of the AMI.
The 2023 American Community Survey indicated the city’s median income that year, the most recent available, was $118,489.
