Santa Clarita development poses as smart growth

and DeLise Keim

The Sierra Club has officially opposed the proposed Las Lomas development in the Newhall Pass just north of Sylmar, at the northwest corner of the Interstate 5 and State Route 14 interchange.

Promoted by developer Dan S. Palmer, Jr., the 555-acre housing and commercial development project would increase air pollution significantly by adding tens of thousands of additional daily vehicle trips to an overly congested area, and would add up to an hour more of traffic delay in each direction on the 5 and 14, according to the draft environmental impact report. It would take virgin land and block a major wildlife corridor between the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.

Las Lomas sits astride a major wildlife corridor that bisects the Rim of the Valley greenbelt that is currently being assembled. While half the project land is dedicated as open space, the proposal significantly alters the landscape that wildlife relies upon. This mountainous property with slopes of 50 percent or greater means that the developer would have to grade off mountaintops.

Las Lomas is marketed as a smart-growth development that includes commercial space along with residential to be served by an internal trolley system as well as bicycle and pedestrian paths. The proposal pitches a new Metrolink station and a potential high-speed rail stop. But many of the proposed features are unfeasible. The hilly topography makes planned bicycle and pedestrian trails impractical. Access to the project area via bus or train is non-existent and geographically prohibitive.

The development plan projects commercial areas that will create 9,000 jobs, with 5,800 homes. It seems likely many Las Lomas workers will live elsewhere and residents will probably work elsewhere too.

The proposed trolley system would be internal and not connect to external transit services. The California High Speed Rail Authority already has a station proposed about 4 miles away in Sylmar, which is too close a distance to allow high-speed train operation.

Following the recommendation of the Transportation Committee and the Santa Clarita Group, the Sierra Club position to oppose Las Lomas was adopted on Sept. 26, 2004. There is a great need for additional housing in Southern California, but extending sprawl into a major wildlife corridor, dressed up with faux smart-growth features that are impractical and unfunded by the developer, seems to be more of the problem rather than part of the solution.