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
December 9
1983 - U.S. release of John Carpenter's "Christine;" blew up fake gas station in Valencia [watch scene (R)]
Christine gas station explosion in Valencia


The on-again, off-again Newhall roundabout project – one of those European-style traffic circles as seen at the Valencia Town Center mall or at Hasley Canyon – is on again.

It’s to replace the three-way junction of Main Street and Newhall Avenue and the stretch of Newhall Avenue that used to be called San Fernando Road.

In other words, in front of William S. Hart Park.

It was going to be a redevelopment project, but when Sacramento took away cities’ redevelopment powers roughly a year ago, it got shelved.

But only for a little while. City staffers have been busy coming up with other ways to pay for it – like landscape maintenance district fees and MTA funding.

Now, the city is in the final steps with Caltrans for the go-ahead, which is expected to come this winter. Then the city will put the project to bid and construction could start next summer.

That’s the short story.

Here’s where it gets complicated.

Back in 2005, the city started assembling property for future redevelopment projects. It paid $763,436 for the property old-timers will remember as Moore’s submarine sandwich shop (24158 Newhall Ave.).  The building stood derelict for two years before the city demolished it in 2007 and it’s been a parking lot ever since.

The city hoped to build a children’s museum, or some other sort of museum, on the old sub shop property as a redevelopment project.

But other redevelopment priorities came first: a new library at the head of Main Street, land- and hardscape improvements along the boulevard to make it more pedestrian-friendly, and upgrades to storefronts.

The time hadn’t come to build a museum, and now that redevelopment is dead, the clock has run out.

Part of unraveling redevelopment involved the recovery, by the state, of money and property in redevelopment accounts up and down California.

In 2006, the city had transferred the Moore’s property to its redevelopment agency. In March 2011, when the handwriting was on the wall in Sacramento, the redevelopment agency transferred the property back to the city in hopes the move would protect it from confiscation by the state.

It didn’t. The state was wise to the cities across California that were doing the same thing, so it said any property owned by redevelopment agencies as of Jan. 1, 2011, were subject to confiscation.

Technically, the state doesn’t directly take the property. It first gets transferred to an entity known as a “successor agency” to the redevelopment agency. Each city designates or appoints its own successor agency, which is obligated to carry out Sacramento’s wishes.

Now, the state controller’s office has told Santa Clarita to hand over any and all property – propety that was owned by the redevelopment agency as of Jan. 1, 2011, and which hasn’t been redeveloped – to Santa Clarita’s successor agency.

One catch with the Moore’s property.

Part of it is needed for the roundabout.

Normally, cities can use the power of eminent domain when they want to build public works projects such as roads.

It would be – well, bizarre – for the city to transfer the property to the successor agency and then have to turn around and use eminent domain against the successor agency to build the roundabout. So the city, via its successor agency, is effectively asking the state to allow it to bypass that step.

The city plans to transfer the bulk of the Moore’s property to the successor agency but keep the section that’s needed for the roundabout, and proceed with the construction next summer as planned.

Then, next fall, the city expects its successor agency to have a plan in place regarding the disposition and dissolution of its assets.

Perhaps by that time the roundabout will be built and the successor agency won’t have anything to say about it.

The City Council votes Tuesday on the property transfer.

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.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


LATEST CITY HEADLINES
Monday, Dec 9, 2024
The city of Santa Clarita will offer a free, frightfully festive Holiday Movie Night featuring "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on Friday, Dec. 13, 6-8 p.m.
Friday, Dec 6, 2024
The Santa Clarita City Council will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10, 6 p.m. on the first floor of City Hall in the City Council Chambers.
Friday, Dec 6, 2024
A special reorganization meeting of the Santa Clarita City Council will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10 in the City Council Chambers at Santa Clarita City Hall.
Friday, Dec 6, 2024
Test your knowledge about Green Santa Clarita programs and events on Tuesday, Dec. 17, with a game of Kahoot trivia on Zoom starting at 7:30 p.m. for a chance to be deemed a Green Santa Clarita super fan and win a prize.
Friday, Dec 6, 2024
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station is seeking the public’s help in identifying a vehicle suspected of being involved in a series of catalytic converter thefts, between Nov. 23 and Dec. 4.

Keep Up With Our Facebook
Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The season came to an end for The Master's University women's volleyball team as they lost their second match of pool play 18-25, 13-25, 21-25 to No. 13-seed Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) Thursday, Dec. 5 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Master’s Women’s Volleyball Season Ends in Iowa
College of the Canyons men's soccer featured five players named to the All-Western State Conference, South Division team for the 2024 season.
COC Men’s Soccer Features Five Players on All-Conference Team
The county of Los Angeles Chief Executive Office Real Estate Division is requesting information for available space to lease to the county in the Santa Clarita Valley area.
County Seeks to Lease Space for Regional Assessor’s Office
College of the Canyons women's soccer had 10 players receive All-Western State Conference, South Division accolades, with Offensive Player of the Year honors going to Victoria Martinez.
Martinez Named Offensive Player of the Year as Cougars Earn 10 All-WSC Selections
Here in Santa Clarita, keeping our streets in top condition is a priority and our Street Maintenance teams are dedicated to making that happen every day.
Ken Striplin | Safe Travels and Happy Holidays
The city of Santa Clarita will offer a free, frightfully festive Holiday Movie Night featuring "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on Friday, Dec. 13, 6-8 p.m.
Dec. 13: Spooky Holiday Movie Night Newhall Community Center
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency has announced a milestone in its ongoing efforts to conserve water and promote sustainable landscaping practices in the community.
SCV Water Achieves Water-Wise Landscapes Milestone
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, Dec. 9 to Sunday, Dec. 15.
Dec. 9-15 : Six Productions Filming in Santa Clarita
1983 - U.S. release of John Carpenter's "Christine;" blew up fake gas station in Valencia [watch scene (R)]
Christine gas station explosion in Valencia
1941 - Julius Dietzmann family of Castaic arrested as German enemy aliens [story]
Julius Dietzmann
1921 - William S. Hart (57) marries actress Winifred Westover (23) [story]
Bill and Winifred Hart
As I pick up the gavel and assume my role as Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for this next year, I look ahead with determination and hope for what we will accomplish.
Kathryn Barger | Keeping Up With Kathryn
The Santa Clarita City Council will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10, 6 p.m. on the first floor of City Hall in the City Council Chambers.
Dec. 10: City Council Meets to Review Budget, Consider Contracts
A special reorganization meeting of the Santa Clarita City Council will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10 in the City Council Chambers at Santa Clarita City Hall.
Dec. 10: Cameron Smyth Relinquishes Gavel as Mayor, Exits Council
Test your knowledge about Green Santa Clarita programs and events on Tuesday, Dec. 17, with a game of Kahoot trivia on Zoom starting at 7:30 p.m. for a chance to be deemed a Green Santa Clarita super fan and win a prize.
Dec. 17: Green Santa Clarita Kahoot Trivia on Zoom
SNAP Sports, (Special Needs Athletes and Peers) is hosting a Pickleball Fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Paseo Club in Valencia. The round-robin tournament pickleball games will begin at 8 a.m. and will wrap up around 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 7: SNAP Sports Hosts Pickleball Fundraiser
Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of the band Chicago, and Tommy DeCarlo, former lead singer of the band Boston, team up for a night of classic rock music spanning the 70's, 80's and 90's, "The Lead Singers of Classic Rock", 8 p.m. Saturday, March 22 at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons.
March 22: PAC Presents ‘The Lead Singers of Classic Rock’
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has been notified of one case of measles in a non-Los Angeles County resident who traveled to Los Angeles International airport while infectious at the end of November.
L.A. Public Health Confirms Measles Case in County
The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce invites local businesses and community members to a critical discussion on retail theft
Dec. 16: SCV Chamber Hosts Retail Theft Event, Survey
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station is seeking the public’s help in identifying a vehicle suspected of being involved in a series of catalytic converter thefts, between Nov. 23 and Dec. 4.
SCV Sheriff’s Station Looking for Vehicle Tied to Catalytic Converter Thefts
The city of Santa Clarita encourages interested and qualified residents to apply for an unscheduled vacancy position on the city’s planning commission as a result of Patsy Ayala’s election to the District 1 seat on the Santa Clarita City Council. The unexpired term ends Dec. 31, 2026.
Applications Now Accepted for Planning Commissioner
College of the Canyons was selected by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting.
COC Recognized by ALL IN for Student Voting
Sierra Vista Junior High School in Canyon Country is hosting a Holiday Gift Drive to support students and families in need this holiday season.
Sierra Vista Junior High Holiday Gift Drive
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has a few tips on keeping families and homes safe during the holidays. Department has a few tips on keeping families and homes safe during the holidays.
L.A. County Fire Offers Holiday Safety Tips
SCVNews.com