REVITALIZATION POSES BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR NEW MAYOR.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

Clyde Smyth has big plans for Santa Clarita.

As its new mayor, he wants to make a significant dent in the revitalization of downtown Newhall, sign a revenue-sharing agreement with housing developers and eliminate pristine Elsmere Canyon from the county's list of potential landfills.

There are ``three to four issues we as a council feel strongly about and would like to see move forward,'' said Smyth, a former Hart Union High School District superintendent, who was appointed mayor in December to replace Carl Boyer.

Each of the five council members takes turns serving one-year terms as mayor. Councilwoman Jan Heidt is expected to become mayor in 1998.

Redevelopment of downtown Newhall is among the top issues before the council, said Smyth who wants to establish a priority list of repair and building projects to improve the sagging commercial corridor.

``You can't allow one part of town to deteriorate,'' he said. ``It will effect other parts of town. We've got to stop that and turn it around and make it a time of hope and a time of renewal.''

Plans call for redeveloping 1,350 acres in the area of downtown Newhall, San Fernando Road, Lyons Avenue and Wiley Canyon Road. Tax increments from the area could provide $1.5 million in the first five years toward financing $12 million in improvements to downtown Newhall, officials have estimated. The rest of the money would come from federal grants and assessments levied on property owners and merchants in special districts within the redevelopment area.

The city already has acquired $2.7 million in federal grants to widen Railroad Avenue as a bypass for San Fernando Road, which will be narrowed from four to two lanes under redevelopment plans. Officials also are looking for property near Market Street and Railroad Avenue for Santa Clarita's third Metrolink station, which they hope to begin building by December.

The mayor said he wants to work closely with the 17-member redevelopment committee and the public to ensure that the city is proceeding quickly and efficiently with plans for the area.

``Establishing a list of priorities and getting people to feel comfortable with that'' is integral to the success of redeveloping downtown Newhall, he said.

Smyth also is concerned about the impact of growth on the city's borders. City officials worry that projects such as Newhall Land and Farming Co.'s 25,000-home development west of the Golden State Freeway will overflow already overburdened city streets, parks and recreation programs with more people than the municipality can handle.

The mayor wants to forge an agreement with developers in which they pay for roads needed by their projects or share revenue with the city that could be used to widen streets and improve public services affected by new housing developments.

As a Hart administrator, Smyth hammered out a similar agreement among developers, local schools, the city and county that requires developers to pay fees to build more schools in areas affected by their projects.

``We sat down and worked out an agreement that gave schools more than the state minimum,'' Smyth said. ``The issue of development outside the city and the impact on city services'' is of similar importance.

Smyth also intends to keep a close eye on plans for the Elsmere Canyon Landfill, which was defeated by Congress last year. The Parks Omnibus law made illegal a land swap that would have located the dump in Elsmere Canyon in the Angeles National Forest. However, city officials worry that proponents will build a smaller landfill on a site outside the forest.

``We must absolutely keep on top of Elsmere,'' Smyth said. ``The big dump is dead but a small one is still possible.''

Smyth said one of his top priorities is convincing Los Angeles County officials to remove Elsmere Canyon from a county document that targets it for a landfill.

``We've got to try to get Elsmere clear of the siting element,'' he said, noting that the city must continue recruiting allies to its side and monitoring plans for the canyon, located about 2-1/2 miles south of city limits.

Before serving on the council, Smyth was superintendent of the Hart school district from 1975 to 1992. He said his skills as a problem-solver and collaborator will serve him well as mayor.

``I would hope to be a good listener, bring a spirit of togetherness, compromise and (a) spirit of dignity to the process,'' he said.

Those who know the slim, wispy-haired councilman said that he is an easy-going person who seeks unity among his colleagues on important issues.

``He tries to get everybody to come to a consensus,'' said Councilwoman Jill Klajic, who worked with Smyth several years ago to increase the amount of fees developers pay for school construction. ``He looks for solutions to problems, and he tries to be fair.''

Said Councilman Boyer: ``He's a facilitator, someone interested in helping people develop policy in getting things done. That's why he was superintendent of the Hart district for so long. He worked hard to see that people worked hard to accomplish their goals.''

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Photo: (ran in AV and SAC--color in SAC) Santa Clarita's new mayor, Clyde Smyth, puts priority on Newhall redevelopment.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News