Agenda Item: 1
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
PUBLIC HEARINGS
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: April 22, 2025
SUBJECT: NEWHALL MIXED USE (MASTER CASE 24-134)
DEPARTMENT: Community Development
PRESENTER: Erika Iverson
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Conduct the public hearing.
2. Determine that the project is exempt from additional review under the California Environmental Quality Act as the project was contemplated and will comply with all mitigation measures established under the Old Town Newhall Specific Plan Final Environmental Impact Report.
3. Adopt a resolution approving Master Case 24-134 (Conditional Use Permit 24-007, Minor Use Permit 24-015, Adjustment Permit 24-005, Architectural Design Review 24-017, and Development Review 24-012) for the construction of a new five-story, mixed-use building and demolition and delisting of the Masonic Lodge/Courthouse building at the corner of Main Street, Market Street, and Railroad Avenue, subject to the attached Conditions of Approval (Exhibit A).
BACKGROUND
Request
The proposed project is a request by Serrano Development Group, for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), Minor Use Permit (MUP), Adjustment Permit (ADJ), Architectural Design Review (ADR), and Development Review (DR) for the redevelopment of the project site into a new five- story, mixed-use project and demolition of the Masonic Lodge/Courthouse building located at 24300, 24308, 24316 Main Street and 22505 Market Street (Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 2831- 012-022 through -026), within the Arts & Entertainment (AE) zone of the Old Town Newhall Specific Plan (OTNSP).
Project Setting
The project site consists of five parcels within the OTNSP area, totaling three-quarters of an acre. It is located at the three-way corner of Main Street, Market Street, and Railroad Avenue, across the street from the Jan Heidt Newhall Metrolink Station. Three existing buildings on-site are proposed to be demolished: the Mac’s Pool Supply building; the Horseshoe on Main building (previously known as Soundsations, a car stereo installation shop); and the Masonic Lodge/Courthouse building, which is identified as a historic structure in the City of Santa Clarita’s (City) Historic Preservation Ordinance and the OTNSP. In 1968, the Courthouse use relocated to Valencia, and the building has been used as an office building since.
Project Submittal
On June 28, 2024, an application was submitted for the construction of a new five-story, mixed- use building consisting of 51 residential units, 3,400 square feet of commercial space, and two levels of parking, one subterranean and one at street level, within the Mac’s Pool Supply and Horseshoe on Main properties. On November 27, 2024, the applicant expanded the project footprint to include the Masonic Lodge/Courthouse property, and revised the project scope to include a total of 78 residential units (apartments), and 5,223 square feet of commercial floor area.
GENERAL PLAN, ZONING, AND LAND USES
The project site has a General Plan designation of Specific Plan, and is located within the OTNSP. The project site has a zoning designation of AE zone under the OTNSP, which is applied to the central portions of Old Town Newhall, generally aligned with Main Street. The zone intends to promote a mixed-use, walkable neighborhood, with commercial uses along Main Street on the ground floor and residential units on the upper floors. The project site is surrounded by commercial uses (e.g., restaurant and retail use) to the north, west, and south, and the Metrolink station to the east.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Development Proposal
The applicant is proposing to demolish the existing buildings on-site for the full-block development of a new mixed-use building consisting of 78 apartments and 5,223 square feet of commercial floor area. The proposed building would be five stories, 52 feet in height, over one subterranean level of parking. Commercial storefronts would be located at the ground level facing Main Street, with garaged parking behind, within the building footprint. Apartment units would be located on the upper levels and oriented around an internal courtyard located on the second floor. Vehicle access to the project site would be provided via two relocated driveways from both Railroad Avenue and Market Street. In addition, one existing driveway on Main Street would be closed, allowing for the addition of three public parking spaces on Main Street.
Parking
Assembly Bill 2097 (AB 2097) prohibits the City from requiring parking minimums on projects within a half-mile of a major transit stop, unless the project would have a negative impact on the existing parking supply. A parking demand study was prepared by the applicant to demonstrate that sufficient parking would be provided by the project to avoid a substantially negative impact on existing parking supply. A total of 122 parking stalls for the residential units are provided on- site, within ground-floor and subterranean parking levels. Residential guest parking will use public parking stalls and the applicant will utilize the OTNSP Parking In-Lieu fee program to meet the commercial parking requirement.
Below, Table 1 shows the required parking under the OTNSP, the proposed parking to be provided by the project, and the state baseline per AB 2097.
Table 1:
Required Proposed State Baseline
Residential 156 spaces 122 on-site spaces 0 spaces
Guest 39 spaces 20 public spaces 1 0 spaces
Commercial 12 spaces (OTNSP
in-lieu fee) OTNSP in-lieu fee 0 spaces
1 e.g., street or public garage parking
Removal of Masonic Lodge/Courthouse
The project proposes the demolition of the Masonic Lodge/Courthouse building, which is currently designated as a historic resource in the OTNSP and Historic Preservation Ordinance.
Under the Santa Clarita Municipal Code (SCMC) Section 17.64.090, an applicant can request to modify or demolish a historic resource with the application of an MUP, subject to approval by the City Council. As such, the applicant has requested an MUP to delist the building as a historic resource and to demolish it. In addition, the OTNSP, Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) addresses renovation or demolition of designated historic structures with mitigation measure (MM) CUL-1.
Separately, the property owner of the Masonic Lodge/Courthouse building received a $22,440 grant (Grant) from the City for building maintenance in 2015. The grant funds would be required to be repaid to the City’s General Fund if the building were to be demolished.
The applicant submitted a letter from the Santa Clarita Historical Society stating the building's historical integrity was compromised by a 1968 remodel, and that it is infeasible to relocate the building. In compliance with MM-CUL-1, the applicant has proposed to commemorate the
building by: (1) recording it through a Historic Architectural Building Survey; (2) installing a commemorative plaque on the new building; (3) placing a dedicatory art installation in the residential lobby; and (4) contributing $750,000 to support local historic preservation efforts.
The payment of the $750,000 would be paid to the City for future preservation efforts, and is inclusive of the repayment of the Grant. These commemoration efforts are included as Conditions of Approval (PL6-PL8) for consideration by the City Council.
Proposed Entitlements
Implementation of the project will require the approval of the following entitlements:
Conditional Use Permit 24-007
Required to increase the allowable floor area ratio above 200 percent of the structure’s first floor footprint for the Stacked Dwelling building type of the OTNSP.
Minor Use Permit 24-015
Required for the demolition and delisting of the Masonic Lodge/Courthouse building, and required for the export of 18,972 cubic yards of dirt.
Adjustment Permit 24-005
Required to reduce the shared residential amenity space requirement up to 20 percent from OTNSP standards, from 13,650 square feet to 10,929 square feet.
Development Review 24-012 and Architectural Design Review 24-017 Required to ensure that the project, site plan, and architecture complies with all of the provisions of the Unified Development Code, the General Plan, and OTNSP.
ENVIRONMENTAL
The project was contemplated under the OTNSP FEIR. As described, the project will comply with all required mitigation measures to ensure compliance with the FEIR. No further action under the California Environmental Quality Act is required.
PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
The Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on March 18, 2025, where it received staff’s presentation, opened the public hearing, and received comments from the applicant and members of the public. After closing the public hearing, the Planning Commission voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution P25-03, recommending the City Council approve the proposed project. The Planning Commission’s action included a recommendation for the City Council to consider the following Conditions of Approval, which are incorporated into the Conditions of Approval (Exhibit A) for the project:
PC1. Before the Building Official issues a building permit, the permittee agrees to draft a parking management plan in a form approved by the Director of Community Development (Director) for both construction and permanent parking.
PC2. Before the Building Official issues a building permit, the permittee must provide a plan for the Director’s approval to ensure structural integrity of immediately adjacent structures during construction.
In addition to recommending the above conditions of approval, the Planning Commission advised that the City Council consider the following when evaluating the project:
1. Consider possible assistance for relocation of the Rafters Alcoholics Anonymous Group, which currently meets in the Masonic Lodge/Courthouse building.
2. Consider possible accommodations that could be made during construction for the neighboring property owner (KHTS Radio Station).
3. Consider adjustments to the permitted construction schedule so there are not conflicts with City events in Old Town Newhall.
A copy of the Planning Commission’s staff report is available in the City Clerk’s reading file.
NOTICING
All notices as required by law were completed. Property owners and occupants within a 1,000- foot radius of the project site were notified of the public hearing by mail. A public notice was placed in The Signal newspaper on April 1, 2025, and a sign was posted on the project site on April 8, 2025.
As of the writing of this agenda report and issuance of the public notice for this City Council hearing, 37 comment letters have been received. All letters and comments that were received during the noticing period for the Planning Commission meeting are included in the Planning Commission staff report and letters received after publishing, prior to the Planning Commission meeting, are located in the City Clerk’s reading file.
CONCLUSION
The Newhall Mixed-Use Project is consistent with the provisions outlined in the General Plan, SCMC, and OTNSP. The applicant’s commemoration proposal for the historic building is consistent with the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance and mitigation measures in the OTNSP EIR. Therefore, Planning Commission recommends the City Council adopt a resolution approving Master Case 24-134 (CUP24-007, MUP24-015, ADJ24-005, ADR24-017, and DR24- 012) for the construction of a new five-story mixed-use building delisting and demolition of the Masonic Lodge/Courthouse building at the corner of Main Street, Market Street, and Railroad Avenue, subject to the attached Conditions of Approval (Exhibit A).
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no impact to the General Fund. The applicant would be required to pay various development impact fees, including, but not limited to, Bridge and Thoroughfare and park dedication (Quimby) fees. Upon receipt of the $750,000 contribution, $22,440 would be deposited into the General Fund (Fund 100) for historic preservation grant repayment, and the remaining $727,560 would be deposited into the Site Improvement Fee Fund (Fund 431) to support local historic preservation efforts.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
Aerial and Zoning Map
Site & Floor Plans
Elevations & Renderings
Parking Demand Study
Historical Society Letter
Proposal for Demo of Historic Resource
CEQA Notice of Determination
Comment Letters
MC24-134 Prior Hearing Documents (available in the City Clerk's Reading File) Comment Letters after PC posting (available in the City Clerk's Reading File)