Santa Clarita Planners Back Tough Hillside Preservation Law

With an eye on the possibility that voters will pass a growth-control initiative in April, the Santa Clarita Planning Commission has unanimously recommended that the City Council adopt a tough hillside preservation ordinance opposed by developers.

The commission late Tuesday also unanimously rejected a developer’s request to exempt a 1,000-acre parcel from the proposed growth limits. The Anden Group is seeking to build about 3,200 residences on the property east of Saugus Speedway, but the measure would allow only 475 housing units annually in the city for the next decade if voters approve it in April.

It will be up to the City Council late this month or in early February to adopt the hillside ordinance as is or modify it. The council will also decide whether to exempt Anden from the growth cap in exchange for a donation from the company of a five-acre site for a commuter rail station.

However, the exemption appears unlikely to be granted. Mayor Jill Klajic and council members Carl Boyer and Jan Heidt said in interviews Wednesday that they oppose it. Council members Howard (Buck) McKeon and Jo Anne Darcy said they would be willing to consider it.

The fate of the hillside ordinance was less clear. Klajic and Heidt said they strongly support the version adopted by the commission, which would force developers to meet strict criteria before being permitted to build on hillsides with grades of 10% or more. But McKeon, Darcy and Boyer said they are willing to listen to proposed modifications.

If the council significantly weakens the ordinance, the citizens group that put the slow-growth measure on the April ballot would sponsor another ballot measure to further reduce development in the hills, said John Drew, president of Citizens Assn. for a Responsible Residential Initiative on Growth.

“There’s a brand-new political spirit in this community,” Drew told the commission Tuesday after announcing the group’s intention.

Drew and other slow-growth proponents said the commission’s decisions Tuesday were a sign that the movement is gaining momentum, despite the opposition of most politicians.

But developers, who organized against the hillside ordinance immediately after city planners unveiled it in late September, said many residents oppose the slow-growth measure and stringent regulations on hillside development. They warned that the hillside ordinance adopted by the commission would reduce the amount of land available for building and drive up the cost of housing.

“We hope to get a lot more workable ordinance,” said Joe Russo, a local realtor.

The proposal would replace less stringent Los Angeles County regulations that now apply within the city. Developers have proposed that the city adopt the county’s standard, which applies only to slopes with grades of 25% or more.

City planners agreed to slightly modify the ordinance after meeting with a group of developers, construction workers and engineers, who formed a coalition against the ordinance last fall. The version adopted by the commission would prohibit building atop most of the city’s prominent ridges but allows developers in some cases to cluster housing units in portions of their property with grades of 25% or less. Planners also slightly increased allowable densities on gently rolling land.

Commissioners praised the hillside ordinance, calling it a compromise that will ensure that “unsightly and unsafe” developments are not built in the city, said Commission Chairman Jerry Cherrington.

But they had harsh words for Anden’s exemption request, calling it “onerous,” “out of place” and a “rip-off.” Commissioner Jack Woodrow, copying a gesture of movie critics on television, gave the request two thumbs down.

The intensity of the commission’s reaction surprised the company’s representatives, said Sam Veltri, Anden’s director of planning. Although most commissioners strongly oppose the slow-growth measure, the panel denied Anden’s request partly because members said they did not want to usurp voters’ right to decide the issue in April.

Anden is seeking the exemption because it must build 700 to 800 housing units annually in the project to satisfy lenders and to finance about $30 million in road improvements, Veltri said.

In exchange, the city would save about $5 million by obtaining the commuter rail station site for free, Veltri said.

Under the current alternative plan, the city would lease the property for the depot, paying Anden $1 annually for three years with an option to buy for the appraised value at the time of sale. Company officials said Tuesday they will sign the lease agreement this month.