Santa Clarita on New Tack for Planning

Santa Clarita just won’t take no for an answer.

Six weeks ago, the young city failed in an attempt to extend its influence far beyond its borders. The bid was rejected by the Los Angeles County Local Agency Formation Commission, largely because of developer opposition.

City officials said they had sought a sphere of influence over 160 square miles surrounding the city because it would have given Santa Clarita political standing to present its views to county officials in debates over development and other activities in the area. A sphere of influence also is a required first step before annexation.

Now, city officials are trying again to gain a voice in county planning matters--this time by proposing the formation of a joint city-county planning committee whose powers could range from simply reviewing and commenting on development proposals to actually deciding whether projects will be built.

“The idea is to explore the possibilities,” said Mayor Jill Klajic, who proposed the idea. “We have a lot of common interests.”

City officials have long maintained that comprehensive planning efforts are necessary in the Santa Clarita Valley. The county and the city have agreed on several valleywide issues, such as fees paid by developers to finance traffic improvement and to build new classrooms. In general, however, they have differed widely in their approach toward development issues, with the city favoring less growth than the county.

Even in less controversial matters, there are key differences, said Lynn Harris, Santa Clarita’s deputy city manager in charge of planning. For instance, the two jurisdictions use different traffic models to project the number of vehicles on streets in the valley, she said.

“Getting the same model alone would be a major step toward coordinating planning in the valley,” Harris said.

County officials have agreed to consider the city’s proposal, but said Friday there are limits to how far they are willing to go.

“The county certainly would not be interested in relinquishing any of its authority,” said Lee Stark, a county planner in charge of the community studies section.

But at Klajic’s request, Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the area, has asked county planning officials to look into establishing an advisory committee that might include planners or city and county officials.

“Surely, more cooperation will come out of this, but I don’t know whether it will satisfy the city,” said Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy, a field deputy to Antonovich.

“This involves property owners, and there would be a terrible outcry” if the city gained jurisdiction over unincorporated areas through the planning committee, she said.