The public and the Planning Commission will get another chance Tuesday to discuss their questions on the 7,000 pages of documents for Belcaro Sand Canyon, with hopes that this time there may be some more answers.  At the last meeting on the subject, several members of the Planning Commi ssion expressed frustration at the lack of reasoning behind why city staff planned a discussion on nearly the same day the consultants’ reports on the project were made public.  John Musella, a spokesman for New Urban West, which is behind the plans for 341 single-family, age-restricted homes on 193 acres east of Sand Canyon and Lost Canyon roads, north of Sand Canyon Country Club, sent an email Monday on behalf of Adam Browning, the company’s president.  “We’ve heard consistently from Sand Canyon residents that emergency evacuation is their top issue. Belcaro Sand Canyon was designed with that in mind including a new secondary emergency access route, an on-site helipad to speed helicopter water-refill operations, a dedicated emergency staging area for first responders, and a new 1 million-gallon water tank to improve water redundancy and emergency availability,” he wrote. “This is all on top of using the latest fire-resistant construction materials on every home and creating fuel modification zones around the project. We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation Tuesday evening and diving into greater detail about these canyon-wide benefits.”  Part of residents’ and the commission’s concern is that state housing laws limit the number of meetings for a project to five, and when Musella was asked to come up to address questions at the July 7 Planning Commission hearing, he said the applicant would like to address the concerns at the next meeting.  Residents opposed to the meetings have taken to posting signs throughout the community in opposition to the project, with concerns about traffic, not only for rush-hour congestion, but also asking whether the rural equestrian community in a very high fire severity zone can handle the type of traffic that’ll come with 341 single-family homes.  “Our main concerns are the fire and the evacuation issues, with the all the congestion that’s already here that would be even worse,” said Christina Hazlewood, a Lost Canyon Road resident for the past seven years, who lives right across from the project.  “The whole project would change the vibe of the area, as well — this is an equestrian area,” she added, suggesting that such a disruption to the community’s bucolic scenery will push people away.  Several planning commissioners questioned why the meeting had to be scheduled for that Tuesday, in light of the lack of materials.   Jason Crawford, director of community development for the city, did not give a specific reason behind the timing for the meeting, but he said the city would follow up with those commissioners about their concerns.    In addition to the reports being made available on the day of the meeting, planning commissioners had questions about the area’s infrastructure.  Commissioner Tim Burkhart wanted a better understanding of the scope of the project and the traffic study, with the neighboring Vista Canyon development as part of the broader picture, and that project recently stalled due to low demand.   The developer of that project, Jim Backer, is now looking to go back and add more residential units, which could impact demand and traffic circulation.  Commissioners Pam Verner and Lisa Eichman both asked about the traffic study and the timeline for road improvements.  Verner requested a fire captain’s presence at the next meeting. Eichman asked about fire-safety concerns, traffic, the roundabouts and land-stability issues, among other concerns.   The discussion is scheduled to take place 6 p.m. Tuesday at Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd.   The expectation from the staff recommendation on the agenda for the meeting calls for a future third hearing, “with a resolution for a decision on the proposed project, responses to all comments, and certification of the Final EIR (environmental impact report).”  That scheduled essentially would give the City Council one chance to review the project and an appeal, if necessary.   The post Planning to take up Belcaro Sand Canyon again appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less