header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
September 18
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital


vermaport

A Vermaport.

Westfield LLC put its plans for a Walmart grocery store at the Valencia Town Center on hold again, when it learned the city of Santa Clarita’s planning staff was going to ask the Planning Commission to deny the project. It had been set for a Planning Commission hearing Tuesday night.

In a letter addressed to the city Monday, Westfield representative Keith S. Kaplan said the company had been told one thing, then another.

“As you know,” Kaplan wrote, “city staff provided Westfield with two versions of the staff report – with two entirely different recommendations – last week on Monday (Jan. 7) and Wednesday (Jan. 9). The first staff report recommended approval of the development review permit with certain conditions of approval; this was consistent with our conversations with city staff of the past eight months in working through design changes requested by the city staff.

“However,” he continued, “the second version of the staff report changed course and recommended denial. We are requesting a continuance of this item to further consider the changed staff recommendation.”

The city staff objected to the development plans on three main points: the purported unsightliness of an architectural feature (a tower); the fact that a new loading bay would be visible both to patrons within the mall and from the streets fronting the mall; and pedestrian accessibility. On this latter point, the city staff said it wanted Westfield to install a Vermaport – an escalator that has one ramp in each direction for humans, and one ramp in each direction for shopping carts. Westfield recently installed a Vermaport at its Horton Plaza shopping mall in San Diego, according to a city staff report.

Produce section of a Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Produce section of a Walmart Neighborhood Market.

City planning staffers also wanted Westfield to add parking stalls – the city says the existing spaces would be at 96 percent capacity on Saturday afternoons in December, the busiest time of year – and it wanted more shopping cart retrieval stalls, to prevent shopping carts from being strewn around the shopping center. But the city staff couldn’t find legal grounds for forcing Westfield to add more parking stalls or shopping cart stalls.

Grocery stores are allowed “by right” in the shopping center, and the city can’t prohibit a grocery store on the basis of its brand name or who owns it.

But that didn’t stop 11 local residents – nine by letter, two by phone – from telling the city they specifically didn’t want a Walmart grocery store at the mall.

Westfield had put the project on hold last fall without explanation and restarted the process in November.

 

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

3 Comments

  1. TAC says:

    I commented on this story a few weeks ago – voicing concern about allowing westfield to mess up an already messed up town center. glad to see the city stepped up here. the town center is a joke of place – with no real thought out planning… just controlled by a greedy (foreign) management company, that’s really only looking out for their own interests.

  2. Dana M says:

    I believe that the three Walmarts we already have in the SCV – one on Lyons one on Copper Hill and the one off of Center point Drive as well as the Sam’s Club is more than enough. They are all within 15 minutes of each other. SCV is not lacking for grocery stores either. Valley Produce Market, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s and Target in are all within 15 minutes of each other and the mall. A Walmart in the mall would only serve to make it more difficult for the smaller stores in the area to pay the high rent in the mall. Walmart could choose to replace all exiting employees with discharged veterans without building another store.

Leave a Comment


LATEST CITY HEADLINES
Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024
Get ready to set sail at the Pirates SENSES Block Party, presented by the city of Santa Clarita, Thursday, Sept 19 from 7-10 p.m. on main street in Old Town Newhall.
Monday, Sep 16, 2024
The city of Santa Clarita is hosting Make A Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 26 and is looking for enthusiastic residents to volunteer for various projects that benefit local nonprofits, as well as the city.
Monday, Sep 16, 2024
The city of Santa Clarita wants to remind residents that volunteer registration is open for the 29th Annual River Rally Cleanup and Environmental Expo scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the William S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball Complex, 23780 Auto Center Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Monday, Sep 16, 2024
As part of the Third Annual Business for Artists Conference on Saturday, Oct. 19, Judith Modrak will lead the Imaginary Fossils Sculpture Making Workshop.
Monday, Sep 16, 2024
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Sept. 16 to Friday, Sept. 20.

Keep Up With Our Facebook
Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
Did you know the SCVEDC has an interactive, online tool that provides themed virtual tours of the amazing features the community has to offer? 
Take a Virtual Tour of the Santa Clarita Valley
California Institute of the Arts alum and visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (Film/Video 1979) was honored with the 2,788th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
CalArts Alum Tim Burton Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center welcomes back Jim Curry for an evening concert celebrating the music of John Denver on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at Bella Vida.
Oct. 5: SCV Senior Center Welcomes Jim Curry ‘Take Me Home’
As part of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency's ongoing commitment to ensuring local groundwater quality and reliability, the SCV Water recently began construction on a new treatment facility to remove perchlorate and volatile organic compounds at Well 205 in Valencia.
SCV Water Begins New Water Treatment Project in Valencia
Get ready to set sail at the Pirates SENSES Block Party, presented by the city of Santa Clarita, Thursday, Sept 19 from 7-10 p.m. on main street in Old Town Newhall.
Sept. 19: SENSES Pirate Block Party
No. 21 College of the Canyons football team knocked off No. 5 Fullerton College 29-13 on Saturday night behind a stifling defensive effort and five field goals from Luis Rodriguez.
No. 21 Canyons Knocks Off No. 5 Fullerton 29-13
Six of the seven Foothill League Varsity football teams begin league play Friday night, Sept. 20.
Foothill League Football Begins for SCV Teams
The California Institute of the Arts will present the "NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball", Friday, Oct. 4, 7-11 p.m. at 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355.
Oct. 4: NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball at Cal Arts
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating two human cases of a rare parasitic infection, Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as raccoon roundworm.
Public Health Investigating Disease Spread from Animals to Humans
1879 - First official Newhall School building erected near Walnut & Ninth streets [story]
First Newhall School
The city of Santa Clarita is hosting Make A Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 26 and is looking for enthusiastic residents to volunteer for various projects that benefit local nonprofits, as well as the city.
Oct. 26: Volunteers Needed for Make a Difference Day
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and PathPoint announced the graduation of Aiden Land and Andrew Mendence from the Project SEARCH internship program.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, PathPoint Celebrate Grad Interns
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced upcoming community information meetings about Learning Post Academy Independent Study School, Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday, Sept. 19.
Sept. 18-19: Learning Post Academy Online Information Meetings
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18, 5 p.m. in open session to interview and appoint a new trustee for Area 5.
Sept. 18: COC Board to Interview, Appoint Area 5 Trustee
The city of Santa Clarita wants to remind residents that volunteer registration is open for the 29th Annual River Rally Cleanup and Environmental Expo scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the William S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball Complex, 23780 Auto Center Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Sept. 20: Last Chance to Register for the River Rally
The California Highway Patrol is dedicating Sept. 15-21 to promoting child passenger safety across California, focusing on the protection of the state’s youngest road users.
CHP Emphasizes Child Safety for National Child Passenger Safety Week
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board will take place Tuesday, Sept. 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17: SUSD Regular Board Meeting
West Ranch High School’s Studio A Jazz Band will be the opening act for the Huntertones, a Brooklyn-based sextet, who are coming to the Santa Clarita Valley for a one-night performance.
Sept 30: West Ranch Jazz Band to Open for Huntertones
An exclusive Ransomeware webinar "Ransomeware, Don't Be the Next Victim!" will be hosted Wednesday, Sept. 25, 11 a.m.- noon by Shield IT Networks, in partnership with Lucas Insurance Services. It will be free for VIA members.
Sept. 25: Free Ransomeware Webinar for VIA Members
As part of the Third Annual Business for Artists Conference on Saturday, Oct. 19, Judith Modrak will lead the Imaginary Fossils Sculpture Making Workshop.
Oct.19: Business for Artists Fossils Sculpture Making Workshop
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Sept. 16 to Friday, Sept. 20.
Six Productions Filming in Santa Clarita
1872 - Mitchell adobe home in Soledad Canyon area first used as schoolhouse; genesis of 1879 Sulphur Springs School District [story]
Mitchell adobe
1970 - SCV voters recall two Hart School Board members who didn't let Canyon students protest the Vietnam War [story]
voting
SCVNews.com