Decades of planning and millions in funding intended to revitalize Old Town Newhall went up in smoke, literally, Monday morning, during a fire that’s still a part of an active investigation.
What’s left now for those combing through the rubble is to try to figure out what the street’s next chapter will be.
It won’t be the first time the street has seen a major investment.
A fire that started just before 3 a.m. Monday gutted a handful of buildings, including a well-known community theater, a popular restaurant, a salon, a boutique, an auto shop and a vacant restaurant.
There were no injuries reported, but the three-alarm fire destroyed everything from the former home of El Trocadero, which sat on the corner, to The Source, a salon that was gutted by flames, which sits right next to the Canyon Theatre Guild on the north end of the block.
That stretch of the 24200 block of Main Street that burned was a part of Santa Clarita targeted by a redevelopment agency the city of Santa Clarita created in 1996, with eight goals for a Downtown Newhall Improvement Program.
The city spent 1995 hosting workshops and creating eight goals for the area, which included “enhance the role of downtown as a community center,” “improve parking” and “create a memorable image that expresses Newhall’s history and character.”
In the years following the state’s dissolution of redevelopment agencies and their funds in 2012, the City Council ultimately approved a parking structure, the Laemmle movie theater/shopping center development and a $26 million library in downtown Newhall, with about $17 million of that coming from leftover state redevelopment funds, according to previous reports.
All of those investments were cited as factors in the surrounding development and the walkable Main Street that many enjoy today, with the city taking advantage of the development and furthering growth by using the area for several marquee events, including Light Up Main, for the holidays, and Senses, a monthly series of block parties that runs from spring until fall.
City officials and Old Town Newhall supporters expressed a greater priority Tuesday in helping meet the more immediate need that the fire created.
“It’s super early, and frankly, I’d say it’s hard to feel equipped for something like this, so I would tell you candidly, we’re still trying to figure out how we can play a helpful role,” said Robert Younkin, president of the Old Town Newhall Association and a local property owner, echoing a sentiment shared by city officials.
As an interested investor as well, Younkin has been publicly pushing the City Council to further Newhall’s development and called the tragedy “surreal and uncanny” in a phone conversation Tuesday.
He recalled over the phone how, after the pandemic, a local business owner helped recruit other investment from the community, which helped a rebuilding after several businesses had closed down.
Younkin said this time around, he really appreciated the outpouring of community support, encouraging people to visit Main Street spots now more than ever due to the hardships created by the fire.
For business owners and their families, it’s not just about the loss of a place or a fight with the insurance company to be made whole.
“I think what’s really important is that even if they’re made 100% whole on their damages, dollar for dollar, which I think is optimistic, it’s all about how long it takes,” Younkin said. “And so you have a small business that has to pay you know a home mortgage or for their kids’ things this month, and some of those insurance things take a very long time, and so it’s how do you kind of handle today?”
He said that’s what he was focused on for the short term, things like trying to find Care Tucker a new place for their store. He also said he was blown away by the community’s generosity, which included tens of thousands of dollars in GoFundMe support. He encouraged people to support those businesses and the official fundraisers.
The city of Santa Clarita staff started the effort with a city “brainstorming” session Tuesday, according to city spokeswoman Carrie Lujan, who said the city is committed to “help support the rebuilding and recovery of Old Town Newhall.”
She declined to discuss any specifics of the meeting, saying it was too early to talk about the specifics. The City Council’s first meeting since a monthlong summer hiatus was Tuesday night and included comments from council members about the fire, though no action could be taken not only because it’s so soon after the fire, but also because there was not enough time to post any action item on the agenda.
“Council members have expressed their concerns and desire to help support the rebuilding and recovery of Old Town Newhall, including exploring fundraising opportunities and encouraging residents and visitors to continue supporting local businesses,” Lujan said in a text message following a phone conversation. “City staff across the organization have already been working on recovery efforts, including getting the fencing in place so Main Street could reopen this morning. City leadership has also met to brainstorm additional ways the city can help, including making connections between businesses in need and those with available space and resources to support the recovery.”
