Local News in Brief : Home Plans in Limbo

Santa Clarita Valley developers are cautiously waiting to see how their projects will be delayed or altered by a pledge by Los Angeles County planning commissioners to more strictly examine the effects of home building in the area.

A Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission resolution vowing to enforce development ordinances more vigorously put into limbo proposals to build about 32,000 homes and apartments in the fast-growing Santa Clarita Valley.

Some builders fear that the new approach will favor smaller projects with fewer residential units over larger, planned developments.

“There is tremendous uncertainty,” said Connie Worden, a Santa Clarita Valley planning commissioner.

The Regional Planning Commission promised the new approach after it was faced with a backlog of 29 applications from developers who want to amend the area’s general plan to build a variety of commercial, industrial and residential projects. Commission members said they will study all 29 projects at once to determine the potential impact on the Santa Clarita Valley.

A study for the commission concluded that, if all pending plan amendments were approved, the valley’s population, now 120,000, in a few years would surpass 270,000, overtaxing roads and city services.