The Santa Clarita Planning Commission is expected to give its final approval of the Wiley Canyon project at its Tuesday meeting, when the commission is scheduled to consider a fifth alternative for development of the former Smiser Mule Ranch.
Tom Clark of Royal Clark Development, who’s also developing in Sand Canyon, presented the latest plan at a third meeting for the project in August for the lot that some have referred to as a “gateway” for the valley due to its location near Interstate 5. The Wiley Canyon property is about 31 acres just east of the freeway between Calgrove Boulevard and Hawkbryn Avenue.
The Wiley Canyon Mixed-Use Project now calls for: 232 detached, two-story condos; a 140,000-square-foot facility with 120 assisted living units; and 9,000 square feet, or less than a quarter-acre, of commercial space. With eight of the homes planned as accessory dwelling units, the project also is thought to be the first of its kind, in terms of housing plans with ADUs or granny flats as part of the proposal.
The residential area would be 16.5 acres and the assisted living-commercial area 3.5 acres.
The open space proposed on the site would total approximately 3 acres: 15,000 square feet for recreational amenities, like a community pool; a nearly 2-acre park; 16,850 square feet for the small lot, single-family development private yards; and 8,435 square feet for townhome private yards.
A total of 601 parking spaces would be provided for residential uses, with about 130 of those for the commercial and assisted living component.
While the environmental impact report the city commissioned for the alternative contains 50 pages of concerns, which ranged from allegations of improper notification of the meetings to traffic concerns to statements such as, “I oppose ALL development on this land. We need protected open space, and this should remain all undeveloped.”
On this project, the initial pushback on turning the quiet canyon into a “mixed-use development” brought hundreds more comments than city planners initially anticipated.
The city’s efforts to address residents’ concerns created a unique situation for the project under new housing law, according to city officials in the agenda for Tuesday, and paints the city into a bit of a corner on the project.
“The city cannot conduct more than five public hearings, including appeals, to consider the project (under the Housing Crisis Act of 2019),” according to the Planning Commission’s agenda.
This hearing would be considered the fourth under state law, which has a recommended approval on the agenda.
City planning officials have indicated this gives the public an opportunity to appeal the project to the Santa Clarita City Council if there are concerns with the commission’s approval.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Santa Clarita City Hall is located at 23920 Valencia Blvd.
