NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
APPLICATION: Master Case 21-089: Specific Plan Amendment 21-001
PROJECT APPLICANT: City of Santa Clarita
PROJECT LOCATION: The project area consists of approximately 271 acres of the Old Town Newhall Specific Plan area
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The City of Santa Clarita’s (City) Old Town Newhall Specific Plan (OTNSP) was originally adopted in 2005. The OTNSP promoted the revitalization of Old Town Newhall, formerly known as Downtown Newhall, by encouraging new development and transforming a state highway into a pedestrian-friendly shopping and restaurant district. Through diligent implementation of the OTNSP along with public and private investments, Old Town Newhall has truly been transformed over the last 17 years and has emerged as a thriving Arts & Entertainment District.
In 2020, the City was awarded Senate Bill 2 grant funds and hired a consultant, Dudek, to assist in a comprehensive update of the OTNSP. The intention of this update is to build upon what has already been accomplished and to memorialize the substantial City investments over the next 15 to 20 years. The proposed 2022 OTNSP Update will maintain the planning framework of the 2005 OTNSP and its subsequent amendments, while revising specific regulations and adopting new ones to reflect the economic and regulatory realities of 2022.
Since the project kick off, staff has engaged the community to solicit feedback on the plan including an online survey, two in-person public outreach events (walking tour in June 2021 and an outdoor interactive exhibition in October 2021), presentations to the Old Town Newhall Association, and has interviewed stakeholders, property owners, merchants, and councilmembers to receive input and feedback. These outreach events provided staff with a further understanding of community priorities to be referred to when refining the vision for the OTNSP. A summary of these events and the draft OTNSP can be found on the project website: www.oldtownnewhall.com/planupdate.
The City of Santa Clarita City Council will conduct a public hearing on this matter on the following date:
DATE: Tuesday, April 26, 2022
TIME: At or after 6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: City Hall, Council Chambers
23920 Valencia Blvd., First Floor
Santa Clarita, CA 91355
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: On March 15, 2022, by a 5-0 vote, the Planning Commission adopted a resolution recommending the City Council approve Master Case 21-089 with Specific Plan Amendment 21-001.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the original OTNSP was certified in 2005 (State Clearinghouse No. 2005021012). The EIR was prepared pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and contains a disclosure and analysis of potential environmental effects associated with its implementation. An Addendum to the certified EIR was prepared to analyze the proposed modifications, to the original OTNSP and its subsequent amendments. It has been concluded that the 2022 OTNSP Update does not require major revisions to the EIR because no new significant impacts or substantial increases in the severity of previously identified significant impacts would occur.
If you wish to challenge the action taken on this matter in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or written correspondence delivered to the City of Santa Clarita at, or prior to, the public hearing.
For further information regarding this proposal, you may contact the project planner by calling (661) 255-4365 to make an appointment. Website: www.santa-clarita.com/planning. Send written correspondence via e-mail to [email protected], or by US mail to: City of Santa Clarita Planning Division, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Suite 302, Santa Clarita, CA 91355. Project Planner: Hai Nguyen, Associate Planner.
Date: March 29, 2022
Mary Cusick, MMC
City Clerk
Published: The Signal, Tuesday, April 5, 2022