HEARING THIS WEEK ON HOUSING PROJECT.

Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS

Staff Writer

CASTAIC -- The nearly 1,700-home Northlake project in Castaic will get a hearing this week before a county commission.

The long-awaited construction of a high school is tied to the project, to be presented to the Regional Planning Commission on Wednesday.

"We do have an awful lot of community support," said Ray Pearl, a spokesman for SunCal, the company developing the project.

"And we're proud of that support and still believe that Northlake is the best opportunity to provide the high school that Castaic residents need, and not only provide it but provide it the soonest," he added.

The 670-acre development site is east of Interstate 5, west of Castaic Lake State Recreation Area and north of Ridge Route Road. The project would have 1,053 single-family lots and 645 homes in multifamily complexes.

It would also have 20.3 acres of parks, although a golf course that was originally planned for the project will not be included.

SunCal has received hundreds of e-mails from Castaic residents in support of the project. Many residents say the best chance for a new high school in the area is through the project.

But John Kunak, a member of the Castaic Town Council, has reservations, and he said the council has expressed concerns about traffic and the adequacy of recreational areas.

"I'm surprised at the way in which SunCal has tried to generate support from the Castaic community and the Castaic Town Council," Kunak said.

"And I remain troubled by their continued refusal to provide in writing a lot of the promises they are making to individual community members in an attempt to garner support for their project."

The public hearing on the project was started on April11. The commission heard from SunCal, as well as from residents for and against the project, before postponing the rest of the hearing to Wednesday.

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