Newhall Ranch to Shrink by 500 Homes

About 500 homes have been eliminated from the massive, proposed Newhall Ranch project in the Santa Clarita Valley to satisfy the objections of a planning commissioner, development officials announced Wednesday.

The changes in the controversial project, which still has about 24,600 residences in its plan, were disclosed at a meeting of the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission. Officials from the Newhall Land & Farming Co., who hope to receive the approvals needed to begin construction of Newhall Ranch, also said they would be scaling back a planned business park and restricting the height of the buildings in the park to a maximum of 45 feet.

The objections were voiced last month by Commissioner Cheryl Vargo, who said that the 1,938 housing units planned near the Santa Clara River would disrupt the rural nature of the area and destroy scenic views.

She had called for the elimination of all the homes, but Wednesday she said she was satisfied with the reductions presented by the developer.

“This is a pretty good compromise,” Vargo said. “This will protect much of the river area and the view from the highway.”

At last month’s meeting, the other commissioners did not join in Vargo’s objections, but Newhall Land spokeswoman Marlee Lauffer said the company didn’t want to risk alienating any members of the commission.

“Although there was no clear indication from the other commissioners,” Lauffer said, “we were concerned and surprised by [Vargo’s] comments, as was everyone, and believed that it was better to address her concerns over aesthetics quickly.”

But Lynne Plambeck, vice president of the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment--which has long opposed the Newhall Ranch project--said the reductions were insignificant. She said other important environmental issues have not been addressed.

“This was very predictable,” Plambeck said. “Some of the commissioners are very pro-development. They didn’t adequately address the problems with building in a flood plain, or with the water availability or water pollution.”

Another issue that came up during the meeting is the status of the High Country, a 3,900-acre area on the south end of the project. Newhall Farm officials have said previously that they plan to keep the area undeveloped and that it will be opened for public use.

But at the meeting, Newhall Land Vice President James Harter threatened to hold back on the High Country plan if “frivolous lawsuits” are filed by Newhall Ranch opponents to hold up its development.

He said Newhall Land might postpone dedicating High Country for public use in proportion to the time the company spends fighting lawsuits. He added that if Newhall Land were to lose in court, then no time would be added.

“We’re looking for a better way to address all the concerns,” Harter said. “We want to find a way to stay out of court fighting frivolous lawsuits, keep home prices down and save time.”

If approved by the Board of Supervisors and built, Newhall Ranch would be the largest planned residential development in Los Angeles County.