Local : Santa Clarita OKs Club Gym

The Santa Clarita City Council has agreed to let a local youth club build a $1.5-million gym and clubhouse at a public park, despite protests from residents who said the city is giving away public land to benefit a private organization.

The opponents, who gathered more than 700 signatures on petitions denouncing the project, also said the proposal by the Santa Clarita Valley Boys & Girls Club is poorly planned and will create traffic problems around Newhall Park. The opponents said the project will set a dangerous precedent because other groups will want to build projects on public lands.

The City Council, dismissing the objections as unreasonable, approved the project by a 4-1 vote late Tuesday night. Council members said the gym and clubhouse will benefit the entire community, not just the club. Under a plan approved Tuesday by the council, the club will lease the land from the city for $1 a year for 25 years. After that time, the building will become the property of the city.