BUSINESS PARK APPROVED THOUSANDS OF JOBS EXPECTED TO BE CREATED.Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - The Santa Clarita City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a 4.2 million-square-foot business park not far from the graves of Newhall's first settlers. Several council members said they expected the Needham Ranch Business Park to jumpstart the lagging redevelopment of Downtown Newhall and create thousands of high-paying jobs in Santa Clarita. The council's vote to approve the project came despite the objections of some residents and environmentalists who said they are increasingly weary of the fast pace of development in the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. and angry that the development calls for the destruction of 1,400 oak trees, a symbol of Santa Clarita. ``This project is a desecration of why we became a city, said Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment President Lynne Planbeck. ``I can't understand where your consciences are.'' The rural wilderness surrounding the business park will be adequately protected and the business park will provide a significant benefit to Santa Clarita by preserving about 280 acres of pristine land behind Eternal Valley Memorial Park, the City Council determined. The City Council granted developer Mark Gates a waiver from the city's hillside and ridgeline ridge·line n. See ridge. Noun 1. ridgeline - a long narrow range of hills ridge arete - a sharp narrow ridge found in rugged mountains preservation because of the business park's innovative design and the significant benefit it provides to the Newhall community. Without that exemption, the project would have been cut in half to avoid lowering a major ridgeline visible from the Antelope Valley Freeway The Antelope Valley Freeway is a freeway in Los Angeles and Kern counties in southern California. It is signed as California State Highway 14 along its length. It connects Greater Los Angeles to the rapidly developing Antelope Valley. and Sierra Highway Sierra Highway is a road in Southern California, United States. It runs from Tunnel Station near the north limit of the City of Los Angeles, where it intersects with San Fernando Road and Foothill Boulevard, as well as Interstate 5, and continues north to Mojave, mostly paralleling . The project went through two major redesigns - one by the city Planning city planning, process of planning for the improvement of urban centers in order to provide healthy and safe living conditions, efficient transport and communication, adequate public facilities, and aesthetic surroundings. Commission, one by the City Council - to save about 250 oak trees and to widen the Los Pinetos Wildlife Corridor, which links the San Gabriel, Santa Susana and Santa Monica mountain ranges. The business park also will include 3.3 miles of trails, a fire station and a helicopter pad to be used for fighting wildfires. In addition, Gates will give the city $2.4 million in cash to preserve the Pioneer Oil Refinery, build a new community center and make traffic and road improvements along San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the in Newhall. Santa Clarita plans to use that money and seek other grants for a variety of improvement projects in downtown Newhall, officials said. HeatherMacDonald, (661) 257-5257 heather.macdonald(at)dailynews.com |
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