The L.A. County Regional Planning Commission unanimously gave final approval Wednesday on Homestead South, a 3,600-home part of the master-planned community formerly known as Newhall Ranch, which is now Valencia by FivePoint.  Approved in 2003, the Newhall Ranch Specific Plan called for ap proximately 21,000 homes on more than 12,000 acres, and also accounted for planned infrastructure such as roads, schools, recreational spaces and public safety improvements.  It also calls for a transformation of what’s otherwise agricultural land, pristine canyons and a riparian habitat, with tens of millions of cubic yards of dirt to be moved. That led to years of scrutiny through legal challenges from local and statewide environmental organizations over the potential environmental impacts just south of Santa Clara River.  The project is just west of Mission Village, another portion of the Valencia by FivePoint project, which is currently under construction.  The plan’s evolution includes the addition of about 10,000 acres of open space throughout the project, $15 million to permanently fund a spineflower preserve and create 50 miles of community trails, and a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions program.   Following a county staff presentation, Alex Harrell, senior vice president of FivePoint, touted some features of the plan that came from the legal process and community discussion since the 2003 approval, offering context for Wednesday’s hearing in a section of his talk titled “Decades in the Making.”  In 2017, the approvals of Landmark Village and Mission Village added about 5,500 homes and  about 57 acres of commercial development; and the Valencia Commerce Center and Entrada South projects approved last year called for 1,574 homes and 94 acres of commercial development.  The first request Harrell received after finishing his presentation was a request from Commissioner Elvin Moon, for the developer to voluntarily double the number of affordable homes in the plan, with Moon saying the need for affordable housing has changed dramatically since the plan’s 2003 approval that called for 10% affordable housing.  Harrell said FivePoint would not like to voluntarily increase that number.  There were 30 speakers on the project, including 26 in person.   Among those speaking in favor of the project were the executive director of the SCV Economic Development Corp., a spokesman for Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, another for Logix Federal Credit Union, union representatives, contractors, FivePoint residents and other various community interests.  “Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and FivePoint are both committed to advancing healthy living in greater Santa Clarita,” said Patrick Moody, director of marketing for Henry Mayo, crediting The Newhall Land and Farming Co. — now a FivePoint Holdings subsidiary — with a 25-acre contribution that started the hospital 50 years ago, as well as remaining a “steadfast contributor.”  “Homestead South will provide new walking trails, including a river trail, two new public parks, plus over 1,000 acres of open space. All designed to get residents and the community at large outside and exercising,” Moody added, in calling for the project’s support.  Several residents of a nearby FivePoint community talked about how the interconnected nature of the community and some of its planning elements have made their lives better.   Lynne Plambeck, president of the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment was the lone speaker to raise concerns about the project during public comment.  She said the plan for a project of this size, when it was approved under previous 5th District Supervisor Michael Antonovich, called for a new environmental impact review for each village. She also said there should be a new sewage-treatment plant added to the project. The existence of endangered species, as well as changing conditions since the original approval, such as the Chiquita Canyon Landfill concerns, are also reasons to prompt additional review, she said.  Harrell said in rebuttal that previous project studies have covered the concerns raised on the potential impact to the local habitat and the project’s infrastructure.  L.A. County planning staff, which recommended approval of the project, said a denial would require evidence of a “specific adverse impact on public health or safety, and no feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate any significant impact.”  Prior to the hearing, the county received 153 letters in support of the plan and four in opposition, according to the staff presentation from Alejandrina Baldwin.   The plans connect to the rest of FivePoint through a bridge over the Santa Clara River from Landmark Village, which is the village directly north of the project and across State Route 126 from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. That bridge would extend into Long Canyon Road, which connects with Magic Mountain Parkway in the project’s southern tip.  The plan calls for an extension, expansion and realignment of both roads to facilitate future growth and development, according to the county.   Any opposition would have until Aug. 10 to file an appeal on the project, according to county officials.  The post Regional Planning Commission OKs 3,600 homes appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less