Agenda Item: 1
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
PUBLIC HEARINGS
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: November 25, 2025
SUBJECT: APPEAL OF THE WILEY CANYON MIXED USE PROJECT
(MASTER CASE 20-238)
DEPARTMENT: Community Development
PRESENTER: Erika Iverson
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Conduct the public hearing.
2. Adopt a resolution, denying Appeal 25-002, and affirming the Planning Commission decision to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report (SCH No. 2202030626) prepared for the project, including adoption of a Statement of Overriding Considerations and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program.
3. Adopt a resolution denying Appeal 25-002 and affirming the Planning Commission’s approval of the Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project (Master Case 20-238).
BACKGROUND
REQUEST
On September 16, 2025, the Planning Commission certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and approved the Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project, Master Case 20-238, consisting of an Architectural Design Review (ADR), Conditional Use Permit (CUP), Development Review (DR), Minor Use Permit (MUP), Oak Tree Permit (OTP), and Tentative Map (TM) to allow for the development of a mixed-use project consisting of a senior-living facility with 120 assisted-living units; 9,000 square feet of commercial floor area; 45 detached single-family units, 8 of which would include an attached Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU); and 179 townhome units (Project).
An appeal of the Planning Commission determination was filed on September 30, 2025. The
appeal letter was signed by 30 members of the public (collectively “the appellant”). A copy of the appeal letter is provided as an attachment to this agenda report for the City Council’s review.
The appeal letter claims that 1) the determination is not in accord with the purposes of the Santa Clarita Municipal Code (SCMC); 2) there was an error or abuse of discretion; 3) the record includes inaccurate information; and 4) the decision is not supported by the record. In summary, the appeal raises the following concerns about the points above:
1. Wiley Canyon Road should be constructed as four lanes, and the environmental impact regulations for protocol site surveys of the Crotch’s Bumble Bee are not being followed;
2. The Final EIR did not provide adequate response to the public comments received on the Draft EIR;
3. The roadway measurements for Wiley Canyon Road are inaccurate; and
4. The City of Santa Clarita (City) did not assess the impacts of traffic intrusion into the local neighborhoods due to the construction of new roundabouts on Wiley Canyon Road; Los Angeles County Fire Department response time; and the Draft EIR did not adequately address air quality.
PLANNING COMMISSION
The Planning Commission has conducted four public hearings on the Project: March 19, 2024, June 18, 2024, August 19, 2025, and September 16, 2025 (copies of the Planning Commission staff reports are available in the City Clerk’s reading file). The Project qualifies as a housing development project in accordance with the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (Government Code section 66300). As such, the Project is subject to and must be evaluated based on compliance with the objective standards of the SCMC for the Mixed-Use Neighborhood (MXN) zone and the City’s Community Character and Design Guidelines (CCDG). Additionally, under state law, the City cannot conduct more than five public hearings (including appeals) to consider the Project.
At the March 19, 2024, hearing, City staff introduced the Project and summarized the Draft EIR.
At that time, the Project request was for a larger, mixed-use project that consisted of a senior- living facility with 130 independent-living units, 61 assisted-living units, and 26 memory-care beds; 8,914 square feet of commercial floor area; and 379 multi-family apartment units. The hearing was continued, and the Planning Commission requested clarification and additional information on several topics from City staff and the applicant, including traffic circulation and access, emergency plans for the senior living facility, parking operations, construction management plan, landscaping along Project boundaries, additional renderings, discussion on the geotechnical analysis, and community outreach.
At the June 18, 2024, hearing, City staff provided an overview of the applicant responses to Planning Commission comments made at the March 2024 hearing. The Planning Commission requested clarification and additional information on many topics from City staff and the applicant, including traffic circulation on Wiley Canyon Road, timing for roadway improvements and right-of-way-acquisition, parking operations, emergency operation plan for the senior living facility, construction phasing plan and construction noise mitigation, interior Project renderings, and community outreach.
Following the June 2024 Planning Commission meeting, the applicant submitted an Alternative Project that reduced the overall density and floor area of the Project for the Planning Commission’s consideration. At the August 19, 2025, Planning Commission hearing, staff presented the Alternative Project. The Planning Commission directed staff to return with a recommendation for the Alternative Project and the Final EIR for the Commission to consider.
At the September 16, 2025, Planning Commission hearing, the Planning Commission, in a 4-0 vote with one abstention, adopted Resolution P25-13, to certify the Final EIR (SCH No. 2022030626) prepared for the Project, and adopted Resolution P25-14, to approve the Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project under Master Case 20-238, for a development consisting of a senior- living facility with 120 assisted-living units; 9,000 square feet of commercial floor area; 45 detached single-family units, 8 of which would include an attached ADU; and 179 townhome units.
PROJECT SETTING AND DESCRIPTION
The Project site has a General Plan land use and zoning designation of MXN and is located within an approximately 38-acre area that is specifically identified in the General Plan as the Calgrove Corridor/Smiser Ranch Special Development Area (Smiser Ranch area). The General Plan limits the total allowable floor area for the Smiser Ranch area to 830,000 square feet of combined residential and commercial development. The Project site is also located within the Planned Development Overlay zone.
The Project is located east of Interstate 5 (I-5) and west of Wiley Canyon Road, between Hawkbryn Avenue and Calgrove Boulevard, in the community of Newhall. Historically, approximately 31 acres, was used as a mule ranch. The northeastern portion of the Project site is separated from the proposed development by Wiley Canyon Road and consists of vacant land on an elevated hillside that will remain vacant. The South Fork Santa Clara River (creek) bisects the Project site at the southern end and continues northerly into a concrete-lined channel along the west side of Wiley Canyon Road. The existing Mulberry Mobile Home Park is located immediately adjacent to the north. Uses to the east, across Wiley Canyon Road are improved with single-family residences. The properties immediately adjacent to the south are improved with commercial uses, including an existing gym and medical office building. The I-5 is immediately adjacent to the west. There are 36 oak trees located on the Project site and its surroundings.
The applicant is seeking approvals for the development of a mixed-use project on the approximately 31-acre site, consisting of a senior-living facility with 120 assisted-living units; 9,000 square feet of commercial floor area; 45 detached single-family units, 8 of which would include an attached ADU; and 179 townhome units.
The development of the proposed Project would require several off-site roadway improvements, including the construction of three new roundabouts at the intersections of 1) Wiley Canyon Road and the Project entrance; 2) Wiley Canyon Road at Canerwell Street; and 3) Wiley Canyon Road at Calgrove Boulevard. The Project would require approximately 44,000 cubic yards of cut, 59,000 cubic yards of fill, over excavation of 515,000 cubic yards, and the import of approximately 85,000 cubic yards of earth to balance the grading for the Project. The Project proposes the removal of four non-heritage oak trees.
As it relates to development standards of the MXN zone and development limitations established for the Smiser Ranch Area of the General Plan, the Project complies with all applicable objective development regulations. The General Plan establishes a limitation on the overall allowable floor area of 830,000 square feet of total residential and commercial combined development in the Smiser Ranch Area. The combined floor area of the Project is 523,890 square feet.
The maximum height allowed in the MXN zone is 50 feet. The assisted-living facility would have a maximum height of four stories, not to exceed 50 feet. The single-family detached condominiums and townhomes would be two stories, with a maximum height of 35 feet.
Parking would exceed the City’s mixed-use development standards by 50 parking stalls, as shown in the table below. Each single-family condominium and each townhome would provide a two-car garage. Each ADU would have one surface parking space. Guest parking would be accommodated along the private street. The parking for the commercial and senior-living facility would be provided in surface parking spaces around the building.
Land Use Parking Ratio Units Required Spaces Provided Spaces Single-Family Condominium 2/Unit 45 90 90
Townhome 2/Unit 179 358 358
ADU 0/Unit 8 0 8
Residential Guest 0.5/Unit 224 112 129
Senior Living Facility 0.5/Bed or Unit 120 60 66
Commercial 1/200 sq. ft. 9,000 sq. ft. 45 64
TOTAL 665 Spaces 715 Spaces
APPEAL
A discussion of the appeal points is provided below.
1. The determination is not in accord with the purposes of the SCMC; namely Wiley Canyon Road was not required to be constructed as four lanes; and the environmental impact regulations for protocol site surveys of the Crotch’s Bumble Bee are not being followed; Wiley Canyon Road Improvements
The Project includes roadway improvements along Wiley Canyon Road that would construct three new roundabout intersections 1) at the Project entrance on Wiley Canyon Road; 2) at Canerwell Street and Wiley Canyon Road; and 3) at Calgrove Boulevard and Wiley Canyon Road. In addition, a Class I trail (two-lane bicycle path and separated, five-foot wide pedestrian path) would be installed along the Project frontage on Wiley Canyon Road from the Project entrance to Calgrove Boulevard.
As discussed in the Planning Commission staff reports and in the staff presentations for the Planning Commission hearings, Wiley Canyon Road is designated by the City’s General Plan
Circulation Element as a Secondary Highway, which is a four-lane road configuration. However, the Project would maintain a two-lane roadway configuration along Wiley Canyon Road.
Due to the significantly lower daily trips generated by the proposed Project (3,500) than had been contemplated by the General Plan (27,000) for this site, there is not a nexus between the Project and build-out of a four-lane roadway. Additionally, based on the projected future traffic volumes, including the Project trips, it is not anticipated that this portion of Wiley Canyon Road will ever reach the need to be four-lanes because these anticipated volumes fall far below the maximum capacity of a two-lane roadway as detailed below.
A traffic analysis was prepared for the Project, and based on the analysis, the proposed Project would generate approximately 3,500 daily trips. The General Plan had assumed a build-out of the Project site that would generate approximately 27,000 daily trips, which had informed the designation of Wiley Canyon Road as a four-lane roadway in the Circulation Element.
The traffic analysis for the Project considers the traffic volumes, inclusive of the current and expected future traffic volumes, plus the traffic volumes for the Project, along this portion of Wiley Canyon Road and Calgrove Boulevard. As discussed in the analysis and as presented at the Planning Commission hearings, the vehicle trips would be between 9,000 and 10,000 vehicle trips per day along this portion of Wiley Canyon Road and Calgrove Boulevard. This is well below the maximum capacity of a two-lane roadway, which has a maximum capacity of 16,000 to 18,000 vehicle trips per day.
The Project would maintain a two-lane roadway configuration on Wiley Canyon Road, but the Project will not change the roadway designation of Secondary Highway in the Circulation Element. Based on the traffic analysis for the Project, it is not expected that four lanes will ever be necessary. Nonetheless, City Traffic and Transportation Planning staff have determined that Wiley Canyon Road could be designed with four vehicle lanes and a sidewalk on either side, if that was ever necessary in the future as a result of new development.
Crotch’s Bumble Bee
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is the regulatory agency responsible for the conservation, protection, and management of fish, wildlife, and native plants. The CDFW submitted a comment letter on the Draft EIR. In the comment letter, CDFW made recommendations for revisions to Mitigation Measure BIO-1 to mitigate impacts to Crotch’s Bumble Bee. The CDFW revisions were accepted and incorporated into the Final EIR.
As was discussed in the staff report and staff presentation at the September 16, 2025, Planning Commission hearing, the revision to Mitigation Measure BIO-1 simply refined the mitigation measure, addressing impacts to Crotch’s Bumble Bee, which was already included in the Draft EIR. It did not introduce a new mitigation measure nor identify a new significant impact.
2. There was an error or abuse of discretion; namely, the Final EIR did not adequately address the public comments submitted;
As was discussed in the staff report and in the staff presentation at the September 16, 2025, Planning Commission hearing, a Final EIR was prepared for the Project in conformance with
CEQA. Specifically, in accordance with the CEQA Guidelines Section 15132, the Final EIR for the Project includes the 60 comment letters that were received during the public review period from public agencies, organizations, and members of the public. Each comment letter was reviewed and bracketed to assign each individual comment a unique identifier for the use of providing a response. These bracketed comment letters are provided in Attachment 1 of the Final EIR. Written responses to every bracketed comment are provided in Chapter 2 of the Final EIR.
In addition, a summary of the response to comments was discussed in the staff report and staff presentation at the September 16, 2025, Planning Commission hearing.
3. The record includes inaccurate information; namely the roadway measurements for Wiley Canyon Road are inaccurate;
As discussed above, there is no nexus between the expected future traffic volumes, inclusive of the Project, that warrants the need for a build-out to four lanes. Accordingly, the proposed roadway improvements shown on the Tentative Map maintain a two-lane roadway configuration with roundabout intersections at the Project entrance, at Wiley Canyon Road and Canerwell Street, and at Wiley Canyon Road and Calgrove Boulevard. The Tentative Map includes dimensioned roadway sections, which demonstrate how the proposed improvements would be constructed.
The roadway improvements and traffic analysis were discussed at length in the Planning Commission hearings. While the expected future traffic volumes do not indicate a need for a four-lane roadway, the City’s Traffic and Transportation Planning staff has reviewed the right- of-way width of Wiley Canyon Road and determined that, in the unlikely event four-lanes ever became necessary with future development, at its narrowest point, Wiley Canyon Road could be designed with four vehicle lanes and a sidewalk on either side of the roadway.
4. The decision is not supported by the record; namely the City did not address traffic intrusion into local neighborhoods due to construction of new roundabouts on Wiley Canyon Road; Los Angeles County Fire Department response time; the Draft EIR did not adequately address air quality;
Traffic Intrusion
As indicated in the appellant letter, the Conditions of Approval for the Project include Condition Number TE20, which reads as follows:
Before the City Engineer issues a grading permit, the permittee must conduct vehicle counts on Canerwell Street, Ebelden Avenue, Fambrough Street, and Kalmar Avenue (Oak Ridge Estates neighborhood) and submit the counts to the City Engineer. Within one year of full occupancy of the Project, if requested by the City Engineer, the permittee must conduct new vehicle counts in Oak Ridge Estates neighborhood. If the new vehicle counts demonstrate a significant diversion of vehicles, as determined by the City Engineer, into the Oak Ridge Estates neighborhood, the permittee will be required to implement appropriate traffic calming measures that must be approved by the City Engineer to discourage such diversion.
This Condition of Approval was included in direct response to public comments regarding
concern that the proposed construction of the roundabout intersections would result in vehicles using the neighborhood streets as an alternate route to avoid Wiley Canyon Road. It is important to note that this is not a deferred mitigation measure as suggested by the appellant. There is no indication in the traffic analysis that vehicles would cut through the neighborhood streets in an effort to avoid using Wiley Canyon Road. Nonetheless, the Condition of Approval provides a mechanism for the City Engineer to evaluate and implement traffic calming measures after the Project is completed, if that is ever determined to be needed.
Los Angeles County Fire
The conclusions made in the Draft EIR regarding Fire Department response come directly from coordination with the County of Los Angeles Fire Department (LACFD), the regulatory authority for fire protection services at the Project site. The City, as part of the EIR preparation, received a letter from LACFD indicating the available fire stations in the vicinity to provide service to the Project site, indicating that the development of the proposed Project would not create a capacity or service level problem, and would not require the need for new or upgraded facilities. In addition, the letter from LACFD states that developer fees and property tax revenue generated by new developments help ensure adequate service levels with new development.
Air Quality Analysis
An air quality analysis was prepared for the Project and evaluated based on the guidance of the local and state regulatory agencies, as outlined below.
Per the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) CEQA Air Quality Handbook, characterization of existing ambient air quality in an EIR should include the most recent available data on background concentrations of criteria pollutants, as well as the number of days in which ambient levels exceed the California Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) and National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This data must be obtained from the nearest SCAQMD air monitoring station within the Source Receptor Area (SRA) of the project, which is SRA 13. However, as SRA 13 did not provide data for all pollutants, available data from the nearest monitoring stations to SRA 13 were included, which include SRA 6 (the West San Fernando Valley Monitoring Station) and SRA 1 (the Central Los Angeles County Monitoring Station). Consistent with this guidance, the Draft EIR appropriately establishes existing background concentrations for the Project, as presented on page 4.2-4 of the Draft EIR.
It should also be noted that the existing ambient air quality does not change the impact findings of the Draft EIR. The effects of the existing environment on the Project are not considered environmental impacts pursuant to CEQA (California Building Industry Association v. Bay Area Air Quality Management District (2015) (Case No. S213478)), which states in summary that “agencies subject to CEQA generally are not required to analyze the impact of existing environmental conditions on a project’s future users or residents. But when a proposed project risks exacerbating those environmental hazards or conditions that already exist, an agency must analyze the potential impact of such hazards on future residents or users. In those specific instances, it is the project’s impact on the environment - and not the environment’s impact on the project - that compels an evaluation of how future residents or users could be affected by exacerbated conditions.” Thus, the EIR is not required to anticipate the potential impact of off-
site ambient air quality on the Project. Nevertheless, as detailed above, the EIR adequately provided contextual data for ambient air quality. Overall, as discussed in detail in Section 4.2, Air Quality, of the Draft EIR, all air quality impacts were determined to be less than significant or less than significant with mitigation incorporated.
Furthermore, the SCAQMD’s CEQA mass daily thresholds for criteria air pollutants are designed to evaluate the incremental increase in emissions resulting from a proposed project.
These thresholds are informed, in part, by the current attainment status of the South Coast Air Basin (SCAB) for each pollutant and the levels that the SCAB can accommodate without affecting the attainment date for the NAAQS or CAAQS. Therefore, the SCAQMD mass daily emissions inherently account for existing ambient air quality conditions within the SCAB. The Project’s air pollutant emissions inventory for both construction and operational phases was evaluated against these thresholds. Accordingly, the analysis of potential impacts related to criteria air pollutant emissions has been conducted in accordance with SCAQMD guidance and significance criteria.
PUBLIC NOTICING
All notices required by law were completed, which consisted of a legal advertisement in The Signal newspaper on November 4, 2025, and notification of public hearing by mail to all property owners and occupants within a 1,000-foot radius of the Project site. Two signs were also posted at the Project site on November 11, 2025. In addition, notices were sent to all signatories on the appeal letter. Following the publication of the public hearing notice, and as of the writing of this staff report, staff has received one letter from the applicant in response to the appeal letter which is provided as an attachment.
CONCLUSION
The Project is a housing development project in accordance with the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (Government Code section 66300). Accordingly, the Project was reviewed and evaluated based on conformance with the City’s objective development standards as discussed above, and as discussed at each Planning Commission hearing. As a housing project, the Project cannot be denied if it complies with the City’s objective design standards. The Project complies with objective standards of the SCMC for the MXN zone; therefore, the Planning Commission voted to approve the Project.
City staff has prepared the necessary resolutions for consideration, and recommends the City Council adopt resolutions to deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Commission determinations to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report (SCH No. 2022030626) prepared for the Project, and to approve the Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project under Master Case 20-238 (ADR 20-023, CUP 20-005, DR 20-017, MUP 20-013, OTP 425-004, and TM 83295) for development consisting of a senior-living facility with 120 assisted-living units; 9,000 square feet of commercial floor area; 45 detached single-family units, 8 of which would include an attached ADU; and 179 townhome units; subject to the Conditions of Approval.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no impact to the General Fund.
ATTACHMENTS
Public Hearing Notice
CEQA Resolution and Exhibits- Draft and Final EIR
Project Resolution and Exhibit
Appeal Letter
Site Plan
Applicant Response to Appeal Comments
2024-03-19 Planning Commission (available in the City Clerk's Reading File) 2024-06-18 Planning Commission (available in the City Clerk's Reading File) 2025-08-19 Planning Commission (available in the City Clerk's Reading File) 2025-09-16 Planning Commission (available in the City Clerk's Reading File)