BLUEPRINT FOR GROWTH\25,000 units envisioned for Valencia.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

When developers look at a sweeping expanse of open country along the Santa Clara River, they envision a $1 billion 25,000-home community that has a touch of the Jetsons and a name rustic enough to make Ben Cartwright feel at home.

Stretching just west of the Golden State Freeway to the Ventura County border, the 19-square-mile Newhall Land and Farming Co. project will encompass five miles of the river - one of the area's last wild tributaries - as well as part of the Santa Susana Mountains and pockets of bird and fish habitats.

Newhall Ranch, as it is being called, would give automobile addicts the opportunity to break their dependence on the car.

Ideally, residents would be a bike ride away from work and steps away from a golf course.

And if they really wanted to visit the big cities or industrial centers, there would be a Metrolink station so they could ride the train rather than fighting traffic on the freeway.

An earthly paradise? There is a difference of opinion on that point.

Proponents and opponents already have drawn battle lines over the project, which Santa Clarita planning director Rich Henderson says is the biggest of its kind in the county.

Newhall Land and Farming Co., which previously developed Valencia, sees the 25,000-home project as its last major development in Los Angeles County.

If all goes well, the first homes would go up for sale in 2000, and the Newhall Ranch population eventually would reach 70,000.

But environmentalists say the development will destroy a habitat of two endangered species: the unarmored three-spine stickleback, a 3-inch fish; and the least Bell's vireo, a tiny songbird that nests along the river's edge.

Opponents in nearby communities fear that the new development - expected to be bigger than Valencia - will overwhelm the Santa Clarita Valley.

"Our valley isn't growing that fast," said Lynne Plambeck, first vice president of Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment. "You're looking at impacting flood plains, agricultural lands and open space."

Construction of the new multicommunity project isn't a certainty.

The Valencia-based developer is seeking a zoning change from agricultural to urban use and is assembling an environmental impact report.

Also, the Santa Clara River is certain to be a point of contention.

"We consider it a big gamble," said Ron Bottorff, chairman of Friends of the Santa Clara River. His Santa Clarita-based group is fighting to save the river from development. "We don't think we can make that kind of gamble."

Newhall Land officials say they will take aggressive measures to protect the river and its inhabitants. A four-mile trail network that will serve as a buffer is planned along the river's edge, and 170 acres of farmland will be returned to the floodplain.

The developer also plans to place large boulders along half the river's edges to protect its banks from erosion during flash floods.

"Our intent is to leave it as natural as possible," said Tom Lee, Newhall Land chief executive officer.

"The intent is to leave all that area as natural open space and let people hike and commune with nature."

Critics are asking Newhall Land to widen buffer zones around the river and concentrate buildings.

Also, farmers who rely on the steady flow filling underground water systems might oppose Newhall Land's plans to incorporate the waterway into the development.

One of the project's most vociferous opponents is Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn, who sees in the development the demise of his county's $1 billion agricultural industry.

Flynn has written a letter opposing the project to Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, whose district includes the Newhall Ranch property. He is concerned about the project's proximity to agricultural crops and its impact on the river, which feeds fields along its 160-mile path from Acton to the Pacific Ocean.

"Urban areas and agricultural areas simply don't get on well together," Flynn said. "It's an intrusion into a particular economic activity called agriculture, making it nonproductive and noneconomic."

Earl McPhail, Ventura County's agricultural commissioner, worries that the residue of urban life - such as oil on the streets - will run off into the river during rains. That could pollute Ventura County's ground-water supply, the sole source of irrigation water for crops in the county.

"It goes right up to our county line, and that's where our citrus starts," McPhail said. "The more development that takes place along the Santa Clara River, the more problems we have with traffic, people and dust.

"We'd like to keep that water as pristine as possible in the long term."

To reduce the demand for potable water, the developer plans to build an on-site water treatment plant that would use reclaimed water for the community's golf course, parks and other landscaped areas.

Anticipating concerns, the developer has been holding a series of community meetings since fall 1994 intended to address specific topics, such as parks, recreation and open space.

"We're not just talking about a residential community but a balanced town," said Newhall Land's Lee. "We're creating a balance of housing and employment centers."

Although Southern California remains in a prolonged housing slump, some analysts say the project will work.

The project's mix of housing and employment makes it economically viable, said Adrian Sanchez, a vice president and regional economist at First Interstate Bank.

"That makes a really big difference," Sanchez said. "They are making plans to have a residential development support that number of people. They can employ a lot of employers and residents that would make filling up the project much more easy."

In past years, Newhall Land has managed to create demand for its projects by staying behind the market and offering an array of housing that appeals to a variety of buyers.

Newhall Land officials are counting on the Santa Clarita Valley's quality schools, low crime rate, relative proximity to Los Angeles and local job opportunities to draw buyers to Newhall Ranch.

To market Newhall Ranch, the developer plans to start selling homes in four years - just as its 24,000-home Valencia community approaches completion.

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Photo (color) Newhall Land Senior Vice President Gloria Glenn and Executive Vice President Jim Harter oversee Newhall Ranch plans. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News Map NEWHALL RANCH