The city of Santa Clarita will be holding a public hearing at the Tuesday, Nov. 10, City Council meeting to consider the transfer of 32,230 square feet of vacant land, at no cost, to Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley (FPofSCV). As part of the Community Plan to Address Homelessness, the City has been working with FPofSCV to identify property that could be used to construct affordable housing, as well as provide permanent office space for the nonprofit.

The property being considered, located at 23652 Newhall Avenue, was purchased by the City in 2010 with the intent to develop a larger Three Oaks project. Three Oaks is an affordable housing development completed in 2017 on an adjacent lot.

An appraisal of the proposed property was completed earlier this year and placed the value of the land at $1.6 million. Since the parcel was purchased with restricted Redevelopment Agency Bond Proceeds, the use of the site is restricted to transitional or affordable housing and must comply with all applicable housing regulations. The scope of the proposed project by FPofSCV of four affordable housing units and administrative office space for homeless clients fits within the intended use of the funds.

“The city of Santa Clarita is committed to housing our neighbors affected by homelessness,” said Santa Clarita Mayor and Chair of the Community Task Force on Homelessness, Cameron Smyth. “This proposed property transfer of $1.6 million for Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley, as well as the prior donation of land to Bridge to Home, puts the amount of land the City has contributed to assist our nonprofits at nearly $3 million.”

Since 2018, FPofSCV has been actively searching for a permanent space to administer its program. In that time, they have garnered support from HomeAid Los Angeles and a local developer, Williams Homes, to assist with the construction of the future project. In addition, the City was awarded a Measure H implementation grant from the County of Los Angeles for $300,000 to assist with this specific priority.

“Family Promise SCV is thrilled that this crucial project is one step closer to reality,” said Dr. Roché Vermaak, executive director of Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley. “We are thankful to the City Council for their support and consideration of this property transfer. This will allow our organization to provide necessary housing and case management services to local homeless families when they need it the most.”

The proposed property transfer will be considered at the Nov. 10, 2020 City Council meeting as a Public Hearing. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m., and members of the public can participate through the Zoom meeting information as listed on the posted agenda.