City planners are reviewing plans for a 287-unit affordable housing development on several parcels at the corner of Sierra Highway and Newhall Avenue, according to city records.
The project was discussed Dec. 4 during the Planning Division’s weekly Pre-Development Review and Development Review Committee meeting, according to an agenda obtained by a California Public Records Act request from The Signal.
City staff meet weekly to discuss ongoing projects under review, which last month included the “one-stop” for multifamily apartments alongside Sierra Highway at Elsmere Canyon.
“The project includes eight residential buildings, each three stories in height, that provide one-, two-, and three-bedroom units,” according to the Dec. 4 agenda. “A clubhouse and kids’ playground are proposed, along with 335 surface parking spaces.”
The plans were submitted via a one-stop review, which does not lead to any approvals, but is considered a way that a developer can receive a preliminary review of a project’s feasibility, according to city officials.
The Sierra Highway proposal would more than double the number of affordable housing units in the city, based on a staff presentation in October. The project would provide a range of units and unit types, with 14 one-bedroom units, 72 two-bedroom units, and 72 three-bedroom units.
During that discussion, the city staff presented a chart that counted 201 such units in the city. That count includes as-yet unbuilt units but ones considered for approval in the Metrowalk (48), Riverview (22) and Creekside Commons (128) housing developments.
The Sierra Highway project site is zoned for regional commercial development and located within a Planned Development Overlay Zone, according to city officials.
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a topic that’s expected to receive more focus this year at City Hall, with the City Manager Ken Striplin telling the City Council that staff would create a draft of affordable-housing policies for members to approve in 2026.
The city of Santa Clarita’s first affordable-housing discussion at City Hall’s Carl Boyer Room prompted an hourlong discussion on what the future of affordable housing might be, but there’s been little publicly discussed since then in terms of what those policies might look like.
The October discussion was meant for staff to receive direction from the City Council, as the staff is required by law and the city’s acceptance of Measure A housing funds to present an affordable-housing policy to the City Council for its future consideration.
The timeline given last fall was for a policy review “early next year,” referring to 2026.
The Sierra Highway project’s applicant is listed as AMG & Associates LLC. The Encino-based real estate consultant firm has produced more than 15,000 homes in California, Alaska, Utah and Arizona with workforce housing, single-family housing and commercial projects.
A representative with AMG did not respond to a request for comment as of this story’s publication.
There’s no affiliation between the project applicant and the Santa Clarita-based firm AMG & Associates Inc., which has been involved in a number of public-private construction project partnerships, according to a local AMG official.
