The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will consider issuing a permit Tuesday for a new 5-acre park in the Bridgeport Marketplace, half of which would be a parking lot for Real Life Church congregants.

A deal has been in the works for more than a year to provide additional parking for the growing church.

In November 2011, on the recommendation of city staff, the Parks Commission voted to change the original plans from 2005 that called for a 5-acre park at the corner of Newhall Ranch Road and Grandview Drive. The land was to be handed over to the city as a condition of approval of both the Bridgeport Marketplace and The Newhall Land and Farming Co.’s River Village project.

The city never took possession of the property because there wasn’t money in the budget to develop and operate it as a park.

Real Life Church | Photo by Stephen K. Peeples

Real Life Church approached the city last year and offered to pay to develop the entire 5-acre site, which had already been graded, as long as half of it could become a parking lot. Parks commissioners said OK at their meeting of Nov. 3, 2011.

Plans call for 124 parking spaces on 2.4 acres; the remaining 2.6 acres would be “passive” park land with turf and shade structures – but no play equipment or ball fields because it’s too small.

On Tuesday, the Planning Commission will consider issuing a conditional use permit, which would allow city staff to design and build the park whenever the funds become available.

The city and the church and Bridgeport Marketplace LLC are still hashing out the details of the financing plan, which would require City Council approval.

Read more about the project [here].