PARK FEE PROPOSED BY CITY HOUSEHOLD ASSESSMENT WOULD HELP BUY OPEN SPACE.

Byline: Eugene Tong  Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The city has plans to levy a $25 per household assessment fee to raise money to acquire more open space and parkland, officials said Friday.

The proposed fee, which is being studied by an independent assessment engineer from consulting firm Harris & Associates, could be placed for a vote before Santa Clarita property owners as early as this fall, city treasurer Darren Hernandez said.

``The concept is not necessarily to fund the maintenance of existing properties or facilities,'' Hernandez said. ``It will be to purchase and preserve open space and parklands, and to develop additional recreational facilities.''

Acquiring parkland and open space has been a priority for the Santa Clarita City Council and for residents, said Gail Ortiz, a city spokeswoman. A citywide poll conducted last year found park and recreation development among residents' major concerns.

Since incorporation in 1987, Santa Clarita has acquired 2,000 acres of undeveloped land, and added 160 acres of park for a total 220 acres of active recreation space.

But it's still far from the city's stated goal of 5 acres of parks per 1,000 residents - or 800 acres total. To meet that goal the city has to buy desirable property before it is purchased by developers, Ortiz said.

``If we want to be a player in what's going to happen to land in the Santa Clarita Valley, we need to buy land,'' she said. ``Property owners have a right to develop property. We can influence that to some degree, but unless we are the property owner, we would be hard-pressed to dictate what could be done with the property.''

Earlier this week, the city announced a $1.15 million pending deal to purchase a 58-acre sliver of land from developer Larry Rasmussen. The property on the banks of the Santa Clara River in Canyon Country had been eyed as a potential homeless shelter site by a local charity, but the city plans to use it as a natural park and to gauge groundwater pollution.

It was not immediately known how much a $25 fee imposed on local households could generate for the city - the independent assessor is deciding how to apply the fee to condominiums, apartments and businesses, Hernandez said. If the assessment is levied on each of the city's 39,399 housing units, it could generate at least $980,000 per year.

``The independent assessment engineer determines the potential viability of a parkland and open space preservation district ... and how the benefit will be apportioned between the individual property owners,'' he said.

The assessor is expected to complete the study early this summer, and mail-in balloting of the proposed fee could be conducted this fall, Hernandez said.

``The addition of open space improves air quality, and recreation programs have a good impact on the youth of the community,'' he said. ``They improve our quality of life by providing recreational opportunities for people of all ages.''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com