BLACKHALL STUDIOS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
MASTER CASE 21-109
PROJECT SUMMARY
Project Location
The project site is located on an approximately 93-acre site located east of Railroad Avenue and north of 12th and 13th Streets in the community of Newhall. The property is located in the Mixed Use Neighborhood (MX-N) zone, Planned Development overlay zone, and is within the Placerita Canyon Special Standards District.
Project Site – Existing Condition
The project site is approximately 93 acres, is generally rectangular in shape, and is located within a semi-rural setting consisting of improved streets, with primarily residential and limited commercial development. The project site has been previously disturbed with no physical improvements. There are oak trees present on site and the project site is traversed by Placerita Creek. The project site is located outside of the flood hazard zone; however, the portion of the site located north of Placerita Creek is located within the high fire hazard zone. The railroad is located immediately to the west. The residential community on Alderbrook Drive is located directly to the east. The Circle J residential community is located to the north and a commercial development is located immediately to the south.
Project Description
The applicant is requesting entitlements for the construction and operation of a full-service television and movie studio campus. The proposed campus would consist of approximately 1.3 million square feet of studio uses consisting of 473,225 square feet of sound stages, 587,170 square feet of supportive warehouse uses, 197,670 square feet of office uses, and approximately 44,517 square feet for catering and other specialty uses. The portion of the project site located north of Placerita Creek is proposed to be used for code-required on-site parking and occasional temporary outdoor filming uses. The property located to the east of the project site under the ownership of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) is proposed to be used as surplus parking for the studio campus.
In addition, the design of the project would require reconfiguration of the planned extension of Dockweiler Drive at 13th Street, 12th Street, and Arch Street to accommodate the entrance and access to the project site. The project would include the construction of off-site improvements including, but is not limited to, additional improvements to the 13th Street rail crossing and various trail improvements.
The Project will require approval of the following entitlements:
• Architectural Design Review 21-106: An Architectural Design Review (ADR) is required for all new development projects;
• Conditional Use Permit 2 1-010: A Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is required for all new development within the Planned Development Overlay;
• Development Review 2 1-012: A Development Review (DR) is required for all new development projects;
• Minor Use Permit 21-016: A Minor Use Permit (MUP) is required for developments that provide less than the minimum floor area ratios and/or residential densities required by the Mixed Use Neighborhood zone;
• Landscape Plan Review 21 -011: A Landscape Plan Review is required to make a determination that all proposed landscaping is consistent with the standards established within the Unified Development Code;
• Hillside Review 21 -001: A Hillside Review (HR) is required for the development on natural slopes in excess of 10 percent average slope;
• Tentative Tract Map No. 083513: A Tentative Tract Map (TTM) is requi red to subdivide the project site into five lots;
• Oak Tree Permit 21-001: An Oak Tree Permit (OTP) is required for the encroachment into the protected zone and removal of oak trees;
• Zone Change 21 -001: A Zone Change is required to modify the boundaries o f the Jobs Creation Overlay Zone (JCOZ) to incorporate the entirety of the project site and to change the zoning of the norther portion of the site from Non -Urban 5 (NU5) to Mixed Use Neighborhood (MX-N);
• General Plan Amendment 21 -002: A General Plan Amen dment is required to modify the General Plan Land Use Designation from NU5 to MX -N to remain consistent with the proposed Zone Change and to make text changes to the discussion regarding the North Newhall Area as discussed within the Land Use Element of the General Plan;
• Ridgeline Alteration Permit 21-001: A Ridgeline Alteration Permit is required for proposed development activity within 100 feet vertically and/or horizontally from a designated significant ridgeline as identified within the Land Use Element of the General Plan.