A resident trying to stop the Wiley Canyon Project and “specially appearing counsel” on behalf of the project’s interests are expected back in front of a judge Wednesday, according to L.A. County Superior Court records.
An online listing recently hinted to what’s at stake in the efforts behind the project at Wiley Canyon Road and Interstate 5, north of Calgrove Boulevard: $46 million.
The city of Santa Clarita entitled the former Smiser Mule Ranch for 232 condos in two-story buildings and 120 assisted-living units in November.
Then R. Weston Monroe, a neighbor of the project, filed a writ against the city seeking to stop the project’s approval, claiming there was no valid Wiley Canyon LLC entity when the entitlements were granted.
“The city’s decision followed a flawed administrative process that violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the planning and zoning law, the city’s General Plan and Municipal Code and fundamental principles of due process,” according to the writ of mandate Monroe filed in December. A contact listed for Monroe did not respond to a request for comment as of this story’s publication.
The specially appearing counsel for the project, expert land-use attorneys, filed objections on procedural grounds to the claims from Monroe, who’s representing himself in the case. The attorneys claimed Monroe failed to meet statutory deadlines for his filings, in addition to improperly identifying the responsible entity in previous filings.
A judge ruled with the city’s special representation in April, while leaving room for Monroe to amend his claims, which he did.
Monroe’s most recent filings included a request for the judge’s review of his opposition to motions from the counsel now representing Wiley Canyon LLC, which he filed on July 20.
In a motion filed Tuesday, attorneys for Wiley Canyon LLC again objected on procedural grounds, claiming Monroe’s filings were past the deadline for consideration at Wednesday’s hearing.
The docket calls for Judge Jon Takasugi to hear an update on a motion to dismiss the case, which was filed previously by Gatzky, Dillon and Ballance, on behalf of the project, and the status of a “case-management conference” between both sides
The Wiley Canyon property is owned by The Zello Group, a Burbank-based firm, according to Jenny Eng, who’s listed as the agent on the property. The firm did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The assisted-living units are coming in a 140,000-square-foot facility, which would also have 9,000 square feet, or less than a quarter-acre, of commercial space. Eight of the homes are being planned as accessory dwelling units, a first of its kind, in terms of housing plans with ADUs, or granny flats, as part of the proposal.
The commercial listing for the project on Zillow mentions “What’s special” about the project: “This unique residential land opportunity features 31 acres and is zoned MX-N, and will be delivered fully entitled for up to 250 units (any combination of (single-family homes/townhomes/duplexes),140,000 (square feet) senior living, and 9,000 (square feet) retail space.”
Santa Clarita city staff said the City Council was forced to approve the project when it went in front of them in November, because there had been four previous Planning Commission discussions. State law now limits such projects to review at five publicly noticed hearings.
The concerns from residents focused on a handful of concerns, with the most often cited ones involving the Wiley Canyon Road design and its roundabouts, which were widely panned by the project’s critics. In addition to impacts to the region’s environment and wildlife, residents shared their concerns around traffic circulation.
A group of the project’s neighbors also talked about how they looked forward to the planned traffic improvements, which were considered a positive by residents near the project site who don’t have sidewalks, saying the lack of them encourages dumping, among other issues.
