ROAD ACROSS TRACKS KEY TO AREA'S PLANS.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE

Staff Writer

NEWHALL -- Efforts to upgrade the area north and northeast of downtown Newhall hinge on building a road across the railroad tracks at Lyons Avenue -- no small feat.

Transportation agencies say a bridge over the tracks would be safer, but the city of Santa Clarita counters it's too costly and would eat up too much valuable land earmarked for other uses.

"The approving agencies want to minimize the conflict points between vehicles and trains as much as possible," said Jason Smisko, a senior planner for the city. "We think the Lyons at-grade crossing gives the best flexibility and options for planning the site."

In the works is a specific plan designed to unify patches of vacant land, commercial lots and homes, but a key sticking point is access. The project area is bounded by the Circle J Ranch neighborhood, a Metropolitan Water District easement and Newhall Creek. Its territory includes the gateway to Placerita Canyon at Arch Street and 12th and 13th streets.

The plan calls for replacing the railroad crossing at 13th Street with an upgraded crossing at Lyons, which would continue over the tracks into Placerita Canyon.

Metrolink officials have said their goal is to enhance safety at existing crossings and eliminate at-grade crossings when possible. A proposal in 2005 to build a state-of-the-art recycling center in the heart of town was scuttled because a level railroad crossing was deemed unsafe by the Public Utilities Commission.

Last year 36 people were killed in California when their vehicles were hit by trains on the tracks -- up 64 percent from the prior year.

If the PUC vetoes the city's proposal, a significant overhaul would be needed, Smisko said.

Nearly half of the area covered by the plan -- 95 of the 213 acres -- might be developed by Los Angeles-based developer Casden Properties.

The area is zoned for industrial or business uses but would not be suitable for a big-box industrial park because of limited access, said Jeff Lambert, a consultant to the developer and a former Santa Clarita planning chief. Nearby is the proposed 160-acre Needham Ranch industrial park.

Casden created a development plan more than a year ago but shelved it to participate in the city's specific plan process, Lambert said. Casden paid about $450,000 -- roughly half -- of the specific plan's cost, and is taking a wait-and-see approach.

"Casden specializes in residential development and would prefer a largely residential development on the property," Lambert said. "But (the company) wants to be part of the specific plan that makes sense for the land -- and to support downtown Newhall."

To entice private developers to upgrade Newhall's downtown core, the Santa Clarita City Council voted in 2005 to adopt a specific plan to renovate 50 blocks. No proposals have yet been approved for the area.

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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