RURAL FOR NOW SITE FOR PLANNED COMMUNITY AWAITS ITS FATE STEVENSON RANCH PLAN MOVES TO NEXT PHASE.

Byline: Kathleen Sweeney Staff Writer

STEVENSON RANCH - Just beyond the outer branches of the controversial oak called Old Glory winds a small road that leads travelers to a place where wild creatures run and several other ancient oaks stand tall.

Like other areas along Pico Canyon Road, this hilly terrain bordering the Santa Clarita woodlands is slated to be covered in concrete, manicured landscaping and tract homes.

On paper, the plan is known as the fifth phase of the Stevenson Ranch development. It was one of the driving forces behind county officials' argument for widening the road and moving the centuries-old oak that stands in its path.

But so far, nothing has materialized from this Lennar Communities project. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has yet to approve it. In fact, the required environmental impact reports haven't even been completed.

``We are still in the early stages of planning,'' said Caryn Spencer, director of marketing for Lennar Communities.

Part of that planning involves obtaining water for the planned homes and dealing with environmental issues. The proposed development must annex into the Castaic Lake Water Agency's service area before construction is allowed - a process that will take months.

CLWA General Manager Dan Masnada said the agency is working with the Berrenda Mesa Water District in Kern County to obtain 16,000 acre-feet of water to service this project as well as other proposed developments in the valley.

The CLWA is in the beginning phases of the water transfer and has just started the environmental reports needed to meet state requirements, he said. The agency's annexation policy, however, states that it must obtain at least twice the amount of water needed for a project to ensure that existing customers aren't affected.

``It's conservative in that respect, but nobody can come and say you're detrimentally impacting existing customers,'' Masnada said.

If Lennar eventually wins approval, it would be responsible for widening less than a mile of Pico Canyon Road to the gate of The Newhall Land and Farming Company's property, a back entrance to the proposed 21,600-home Newhall Ranch development.

Not until then will anyone know how widening that portion of the road will affect the habitat and terrain, including how many heritage oaks like the Pico Canyon oak dubbed Old Glory will be moved or chopped down.

Although county officials have planned on the road as a major highway for 60 years, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works doesn't know where the road will be paved, how many other oaks stand in the way and what other environmental impacts could arise.

``We don't really know at this point because it hasn't been planned out definitely,'' said Ken Pellman, a public works spokesman. ``Where we go from here has some openness to it. The goal has always been to preserve as many oaks as possible.''

With recent controversy over moving Old Glory, it could be that Lennar Communities will find itself in the same situation as Laing Homes just a few months ago - between a battle with the county and environmentalists working to protect oaks and open space.

That ended with a court ordering tree-sitter John Quigley off the perch he called home for more than two months, a media frenzy concentrated at the base of the tree and dissatisfaction with county leadership on the issue.

Lennar Communities plans only to continue planning.

``We will continue to work with all the community groups and the Stevenson Ranch Town Council and address the issues as they come up,'' Spencer said. ``At the top of the list will be safety and adequate traffic standards.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, map

Photo:

(1 -- color) Two joggers on Pico Canyon Road in Santa Clarita pass an open area that marks the next phase for Stevenson Ranch.

(2) The site of the next phase of Stevenson Ranch is along Pico Canyon Road, past the disputed oak Old Glory, toward Mentryville.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer

Map:

ROADS PLANNED IN WESTERN SANTA CLARITA VALLEY