BMW DEALER BUYS NEW AUTO CENTER SITE.

Byline: Eugene Tong  Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Valencia BMW has purchased nearly 6.3 acres in the expansion of the auto center with the intention of moving the dealership next year, officials said Wednesday.

The property along Valencia Boulevard near Cinema Drive was purchased last month from The Newhall Land and Farming Co. for an undisclosed sum, General Manager Gary Marco said.

It's a step toward expansion for the luxury German automobile dealer, which has outgrown its current facility of less than two acres in the heart of Valencia's Auto Row on Creekside Road, he said.

``We've known we need a larger facility for probably two, three years,'' Marco said. ``Sales and service has grown dramatically. When that space became available, we just took advantage of it.''

Marco said business has tripled over the last four years. The new facility, slated to open at the end of 2005, will include some 33 service spaces, more than three times that at the existing dealership.

``It's a big difference,'' he said. ``We're going to build as fast as the city will let us.''

Valencia BMW is the second tenant to reserve space in the expanded area of auto row near the William S. Hart PONY Baseball and Softball Complex. A Mercedes-Benz dealership also is slated to open there in 2005.

``We're all excited about it,'' said Don Fleming, owner of Valencia Acura and president of the Santa Clarita Auto Dealers Association. ``This gives the residents of Santa Clarita the ability to do a lot of cross-shopping without leaving the community, and we like that.''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com