The Valencia by FivePoint community, just west of Interstate 5, now has zero-emission cars and e-bikes available to rent.
The program is a core component of VALENCIA GO, a transportation management organization formed to serve the Valencia by FivePoint community. It allows residents and visitors to access and rent electric vehicles and e-bikes from a “mobility hub” in Verve Park.
Eric Morgan, vice president of community affairs at FivePoint, the developer behind the neighborhood, said the rideshare program — as well as the subsidy program for zero-emission vehicle and transit purchases — is part of the development’s ethos.
“People are wanting to live in a way that prioritizes a sustainable lifestyle and offers a variety of ways to get around, especially young families,” Morgan said. “We’re building a community that’ll give people those options.”
Morgan said VALENCIA GO is an important component of a larger plan to develop Valencia by FivePoint to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from its construction and operations. This includes the construction of zero-net-energy homes and buildings, rooftop solar panels, Level 2 EV chargers in garages of each home, and installation of hundreds of EV charging stations in parks, commercial properties and community areas.
Those community initiatives — and additional sustainability investments to reduce emissions in L.A. County and around the state — continue to expand as the neighborhood does.
Emily Haar, VALENCIA GO’s program manager, said that current plans for the community include adding a transportation hub, which would include a bus transit center, in the coming years.
Bus service to downtown Santa Clarita and local schools is currently available to Valencia by FivePoint residents through Santa Clarita Transit, facilitated further by a recent $100,000 contribution to Santa Clarita Transit from VALENCIA GO toward the purchase and delivery of a zero-emission transit bus.
As part of the bike and car share program, Valencia by FivePoint residents ages 18 and up currently get 120 minutes of free e-bike riding time each day. After the initial free period, residents pay 8 cents per minute to continue riding. Visitors pay $3.50 to unlock the e-bike and get 30 minutes of free riding time before paying 8 cents per minute thereafter. Riders must return their bikes to Verve Park after they’ve finished riding.
The carshare program began last month with two net zero-emission cars, a Volkswagen ID.4 and a Hyundai Ioniq 5. Both are accessed at the Verve Park mobility hub, with rental rates currently starting at $8 an hour. The carshare program is run through Envoy, which requires users to download its app and enter a code to see available cars.
VALENCIA GO also currently offers subsidies that reimburse original Valencia by FivePoint homeowners for their purchase of eco-friendly transportation options.
Depending on the type of home purchased, subsidies may include a $1,000 per-household reimbursement toward the purchase of an electric vehicle, up to $2,750 for purchase of a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) and up to $750 for an e-bike purchase.
Currently, every member in each household — including adults and children — is eligible for a $132 per month transit subsidy toward Santa Clarita Transit or Metrolink fares. Similar transit subsidies will be available to employees who work for select businesses in Valencia by FivePoint.
Haar said VALENCIA GO sent a survey to Valencia by FivePoint residents about a year and a half ago to gauge how they felt about those subsidies.
“What genuinely surprised me is that many of the residents are driven to make these sustainable choices, whether that’s purchasing an electric vehicle or an e-bike,” Haar said. “They do this for the sustainability benefits … we heard the phrase ‘future generations’ multiple times in the survey.”
Kathy Song, a Valencia by FivePoint resident who has utilized VALENCIA GO subsidies, agreed.
“Sustainable living is something I embrace, especially for my daughters in the future. We want to live that lifestyle, and just be respectful of everything around us,” Song said.
Although they’re only 8 and 5 years old, Song wants to teach her young daughters that sustainability can be practiced through different ways including the integration of drought-resistant plants and shifting to low-emission vehicles such as electric cars and bikes.
For example, Song and her family regularly visit the park or pool in the family’s NEV on pathways exclusively designed for NEVs.
Utilizing the sustainable practices available in the new community has helped Song live a healthier lifestyle, which is something she always hoped for when raising her family.
“As you grow up and better understand how sustainable living positively impacts the community and even bigger, the world, you believe in that cause.”
