The Santa Clarita Planning Commission at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, May 21, will consider approval of Verizon’s request to build a new wireless communications facility at Copper Hill Road and San Francisquito Canyon Road.

If the Commission approves Verizon’s application for a conditional use permit, the WCF would be installed on an existing Southern California Edison lattice tower on the intersection’s northwest corner.

The project is described thusly in the agenda:

“The proposed facility consists of three sectors that each contain two six-foot-tall panel antennas and two remote radio units. A microwave dish would be mounted below the sectors at 20 feet in height. Proposed ancillary equipment including two equipment cabinets and one emergency generator would be located within a new 248 square-foot equipment enclosure consisting of seven-foot-tall block walls within the footprint of the lattice tower.

“The block wall would be designed with a decorative split-face block material and painted in an earth-tone color with an anti-graffiti coating. The proposal also includes one GPS antenna installed on top of the equipment enclosure walls. Surrounding properties include residential properties to the west, and Open Space zones to the north, south, and east of the subject property.

“The project is located on a 2.9-acre parcel owned by Five Point and is located approximately 100 feet west of San Francisquito Canyon Road and 260 feet north of Copper Hill Drive. The subject parcel consists of three existing SCE transmission towers at the corner of Copper Hill Drive and San Francisquito Canyon Road. The property is zoned Non-Urban Residential 4 (NU4) and is located in the community of Valencia.”

Jobs Creation Overlay Zone
Commissioners will also weigh a proposal to create a Jobs Creation Overlay Zone, with the primary focus of increasing high-quality employment opportunities and improving the city’s jobs/housing balance.

Here are excerpts from the agenda:

“The City of Santa Clarita General Plan (General Plan) identifies goals related to the creation of high-quality employment opportunities throughout the community.

“These goals include:
1. The creation of two jobs for each new housing unit built within the city of Santa Clarita
2. The creation of 1.5 jobs for each new housing unit within the city
3. The reduction of residents that commute outside of the city for employment (currently 53%, according to the General Plan)

“Land use policies that allow for more efficient use of the buildable area will enhance the City’s ability to meet these goals. This can be accomplished by encouraging commercial development to build to the highest and best use of the property, without exceeding allowable density. This results in commercial projects that have a greater capacity for creating employment. This concept is called capacity growth.

“The JCOZ would implement strategies to enhance capacity growth within targeted areas of the community to achieve the benefits outlined in the Background section. In addition, for qualifying office and industrial projects, the JCOZ would:

“1. Streamline the current permit process for qualifying projects without impacting the allowable density currently permitted within the underlying zones;
2. Allow for additional building height without a conditional use permit;
3. Provide specific project design incentives;
4. Improve the land value of areas within the JCOZ; and
5. Enhance redevelopment and infill opportunities for properties within the JCOZ.”

Tuesday’s meeting will start at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers at Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita 91355.

To view the agenda online, [click here].

To view all public meeting notice agendas visit the city’s online meeting portal.