NEW TRACTS, ROAD ELICIT HOPE, FEAR SOME CHEER NEW STREET, OTHERS WORRY.

Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY -- The east part of town has stood for years like an outpost to a new frontier, largely untouched from the massive developments that have reshaped Santa Clarita's west side.

But now this area -- pocked with old bars, auto repair shops and mom-and-pop restaurants -- faces change.

Two proposed developments may bring some 565 single-family homes between Sierra Highway and Soledad Canyon Road and have some residents wondering whether their quiet lives there today are becoming days gone by.

``It's a special area,'' said resident Jay Weiner. ``I'd hate to see it turn into L.A.''

Living on a six-acre ranch off Sierra Highway, Weiner operates an animal farm where horses, chickens and a big black bull roam. The animals were rescued from abusive homes and now serve as therapy tools to children.

The ranch also sits near a proposed site for 75 homes off Sierra Highway and Vasquez Canyon Road. Housing developments like that were on his mind when he moved into the rural part of town three years ago.

Now that Weiner sees the rooftops coming, he wonders whether they will threaten the area's equestrian lifestyle as did similar developments in Santa Ana, Orange and Tustin, where horses were once allowed in backyards.

Across the way, plans are moving ahead to build more than 490 homes on 500 acres of yellow hillside. The new homes will stand on new streets off an extended Shadow Pines Boulevard that could eventually reach within a few miles of Agua Dulce's Davenport Road, a well-traveled thoroughfare that connects the rural town to the outside world.

On Wednesday, the housing proposal was taken off the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission's calendar, but is expected to return in a few months with a better map of where homes will rest on the hillside terrain, said Ramone Cordova, regional planning assistant.

But some residents living next door to the proposed housing development are eager for its start because it will build road extensions to some of their dead-end streets and help them get to Soledad Canyon Road faster. For many, Abelia Road has long stood as their main access.

``I think it's for the better,'' said Franky Garcia as he washed his car. ``It will be more convenient.''

The 22-year-old Sunrose Place resident learned of the new development months ago through fliers dropped at his house. He said he can't wait for an alternative to Abelia, which crosses a curved street and makes dangerous turns.

Down the street, the idea of new road extensions made Philipp Embuido grin. The 39-year-old attended community meetings about the housing development six months ago and felt confident that his street would remain tranquil when the new residents move in. He hopes the new homes will add value to his land.

``We saw it coming up,'' he said. ``Hopefully, it'll increase our home prices.''

Blocks away on Abelia Road, 29-year-old Thomas Bomar helped his son with a plastic pool in their front yard. Bomar doubts that the new development will help relieve much traffic on his street, and shook his head at the thought of how many new cars it will bring to Soledad Canyon Road and Santa Clarita.

``Traffic is already out of control,'' he said. ``There are too many cars and too many houses.''

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

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492 homes proposed