UPDATE: Supervisors OK Second Phase of Newhall Ranch

by ranch-river | May 15, 2012 | News

The second phase of the Newhall Ranch project passed its final hurdle for construction approval today as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a number of permits for the project.

Included in the approved permits was the map for the 1,860-acre site – called Mission Village – at the northeast corner of the Newhall Ranch development south of Highway 126 and west of Interstate 5. The approval of those permits mean Mission Village has been completely approved by supervisors, said Edel Vizcarra, planning deputy for Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

The motion to approve the permits passed 3-1-1, with Supervisor Gloria Molina voting against the permit approval and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky abstaining on the vote.

Newhall Ranch is a planned development that would add more than 20,000 new homes and a number of new commercial areas in the northwest Santa Clarita Valley.

Several concerned residents spoke out against the project at the board meeting today, voicing concerns about the project’s impact on the environment. County staff responding to Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich’s questions about residents’ concerns said each had been addressed already.

Despite a lawsuit pending against the county for its earlier approvals of Newhall Ranch projects, Marlee Lauffer, vice president of marketing and communication for Newhall Land Development Inc., said Friday the company could start construction on the project within 18 to 24 months.

The joint lawsuit was brought in March by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Santa Clara River, Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment, the Wishtoyo Foundation and its Ventura Coastkeeper program against the entire Newhall Ranch project.

The Mission Village phase would have 351 homes, 3,704 multi-family units, 1.55 million square feet of mixed use/commercial space, an elementary school, a library, a fire station, a bus transfer station, 693 acres of open space – with 26.8 acres for public parks, 14.7 acres for private recreational facilities, and 85.8 acres in three preserves reserved for an endangered plant connected to open space, according to information from the county counsel’s office.

The overall Newhall Ranch specific plan was approved several years ago, and the different villages associated with the project are in the approval process now, said Edel Vizcarra, planning deputy for Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich on Friday.

The first phase of the project, Landmark Village, received final approval in February. That portion of the project will be smaller than Mission Village, with 422 lots developed on 295 acres and 119 lots for open space.

As planned, Newhall Ranch would be built in four distinct “villages” on 12,000 acres off Interstate 5 along Highway 126 near the Santa Clara River.

Click HERE for the article.

Phase 2 of Newhall Land Slated for Final Approval

by ranch-river | May 12, 2012 | News

The second phase of the Newhall Ranch project could take another step forward Tuesday as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to cast its final round of votes on the project’s permits.

A number of permits are slated for a vote Tuesday, including the permit for the map for the 1,860-acre site – called Mission Village – at the northeast corner of the Newhall Ranch development south of Highway 126 and west of Interstate 5.

“Mission was previously approved by the Regional Planning Commission and has received initial approval by the Board (of Supervisors),” said Marlee Lauffer, vice president of marketing and communication for Newhall Land, in an email Friday.

Despite a lawsuit pending against the county for its earlier approvals of Newhall Ranch projects, Lauffer said the company could start construction on the project within 18 to 24 months if it receives final approval on its phase two permits.

The joint lawsuit was brought in March by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Santa Clara River, Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment, the Wishtoyo Foundation and its Ventura Coastkeeper program against the entire Newhall Ranch project.

The Mission Village phase would have 351 homes, 3,704 multi-family units, 1.55 million square feet of mixed use/commercial space, an elementary school, a library, a fire station, a bus transfer station, 693 acres of open space – with 26.8 acres for public parks, 14.7 acres for private recreational facilities, and 85.8 acres in three preserves reserved for an endangered plant connected to open space, according to information from the county counsel’s office.

The overall Newhall Ranch specific plan was approved several years ago, and the different villages associated with the project are in the approval process now, said Edel Vizcarra, planning deputy for Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

“All of these villages are just the implementation of the larger specific plan that was approved,” Vizcarra said.
The first phase of the project, Landmark Village, received final approval in February. That portion of the project will be smaller than Mission Village, with 422 lots developed on 295 acres and 119 lots for open space.

As planned, the Newhall Ranch project would add more than 20,000 residences and a number of commercial areas in the northwest Santa Clarita Valley and would be built in four distinct “villages” on 12,000 acres off Interstate 5 along Highway 126 near the Santa Clara River.

Click HERE for the article.