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
March 18
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel


| Wednesday, Jan 22, 2020
Santa Clarita Valley residents gather to discuss the proposed Patios Connection project at Westfield Valencia Town Center during a city Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. | Photo: Emily Alvarenga / The Signal.
Santa Clarita Valley residents gather to discuss the proposed Patios Connection project at Westfield Valencia Town Center during a city Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. | Photo: Emily Alvarenga / The Signal.

 

Santa Clarita’s Planning Commission approved plans Tuesday for the proposed Patios Connection project at Westfield Valencia Town Center, which includes the city’s second Costco and several other new businesses.

The Planning Commission unanimously approved the $100-million project and approximately 101,000-square-foot addition to the mall.

The Patios Connection project consists of demolishing the former Sears building, and constructing a Costco, with parking on the roof, as well as a gas station, health and fitness center, luxury cinema, expansion of the existing Canyon Club music venue and additional retail and restaurant space.

“The parking on top of Costco is specifically designed to supply new parking to the patios,” Chris Kitchen, vice president of development for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said. “It represents approximately 64% increase in supply directly for the patios … We oriented Costco to face the lower-level parking so that the demand for parking is really based on the area where we don’t have demand for that (currently).”

Among concerns discussed was the possibility of increased traffic congestion to an already busy area, along with further parking issues the increase would cause.

“It seems like every time I come in there (parking is) full, and this just may be because we’re going to the hot spots,” said Commissioner Dennis Ostrom, adding that he believes traffic is most dangerous when people are searching for parking spots.

“The maximum parking spaces we ever found was an 80% occupancy on the Saturday before Christmas,” responded Pat Gibson, president of Gibson Transportation Consulting. “There are over 700 empty parking spaces during the busiest hour of the year. Were they all right next to the door? No.”

Together with mall officials, city staff has looked into six possible mitigation measures in regards to traffic, as the proposal would generate 3,700 more daily trips and significantly impact traffic at six intersections, according to a city traffic analysis.

Among those measures would be reconfiguring those six major intersections, as well as the existing surface parking lot and all access points into the mall to improve circulation into the property.

Still, business owners on Citrus Street voiced concerns regarding exiting their parking lot with the increased traffic from the nearby Costco gas station.

“Will that flow stop so that we can exit our property?” property owner Margaret Lundgren asked. “I don’t know how this will affect us getting in and out of work, or how it will affect our clients or customers and those of our tenants.”

The reconfiguration of Citrus would add a designated center lane for turns, which would increase the capacity and reduce queuing currently faced by those property owners, according to Ian Pari, senior traffic engineer with the city’s traffic division.

“We all have really busy lives and a shopping center that creates the opportunity for a working mother like myself, to have a one-stop-shop is a huge advantage, that the addition brought with the Patio Connection project will do just that,” local Realtor Liz Tolentino said.

Amy Daniels, executive director of the WiSH Education Foundation, agreed, adding, “It’ll save the soul time, energy and money. We can shop, eat, work out, get entertainment, low-cost gas and it will lessen the cross-valley traffic, which is amazing.”

Commissioners also directed the applicant to look into ways and strategies to help enhance pedestrian safety, parking mitigation for construction during special events and ensuring no reductions in the number of disabled parking spaces.

The project does not need approval by the City Council because of its conditional use permit status, which only requires a Planning Commission vote, so if the following 15-day appeal period passes without petition, the applicant will be free to submit structural drawings for approval prior to construction.

Mall officials said they’re “ready to go” for construction of the Patios Connection this year and estimate completion by late 2022.

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, Mar 18, 2024
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
Friday, Mar 15, 2024
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Friday, Mar 15, 2024
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.

Keep Up With Our Facebook
Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
College of the Canyons notched its first victory at the newly named Mike Gillespie Field on Saturday, winning its second straight conference series, this time over visiting Bakersfield College, by a 6-4 final score. 
Cougars Notch First Win at Mike Gillespie Field
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Master's University hit 20 3-pointers, one shy of the program record in a game, to defeat the St. Thomas Bobcats 122-91 in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Mustangs Advance to NAIA Sweet 16
The Master's University baseball team lost a pair of 1-run games Saturday against the Menlo Oaks in Atherton, Calif.
Mustangs Drop Three Games to Menlo
The Los Angeles County Development Authority is excited to announce that its executive director, Emilio Salas, has been appointed to a two-year term to serve as a member of the national Strategic Planning Advisory Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
LACDA’s Emilio Salas Appointed to National Planning Advisory Committee
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
REDLANDS — College of the Canyons track and field recorded a dozen top-10 finishes and established 30 new personal records while competing at the University of Redlands Invitational on March 15. 
Cougars Earn Top-10 Finishes at Redlands Invitational
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
Big Chicken, the star-powered fast casual chicken concept, which has a location in Santa Clarita, is fueling the mania for the Big Tournament with a nationwide Big Bracket Challenge.
Compete for Chance to Open Shaquille O’Neal Chicken Restaurant
California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2024 Cinematheque series will pay tribute to Hollywood casting director and producer Deborah Aquila, executive vice president and head of casting at Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios, to mark the end of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27.
Legendary Casting Director Deborah Aquila to Speak at CSUN
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to announce spring has sprung at its local parks, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.
L.A. County Parks Releases Spring Jubilee Dates
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
‘Bosch Legacy,’ ‘CSI Vegas’ Among Six Productions Filming in SCV
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Ken Striplin | Register Now for Spring Break Camp 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the following Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.
Ocean Water Advisory Continues for L.A. County Beaches
The California Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a faster way for businesses to check that their employees have clean driving records using the new online Employee Pull Notice (EPN) Service.
DMV Launches Enhanced Digital Employer Pull Notice Service
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel
1927 - Newhall telephone exchange, est. 1900, now serves 100 phones [story]
telephone
2003 - Lifesize sculpture honoring heroes of St. Francis Dam disaster unveiled in Santa Paula [video]
The Warning
In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master's men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
TMU Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Benu in Arizona
Greg Herrick, the former longtime College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach who recorded 611 career wins while winning 16 conference titles, was inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual Banquet of Champions at Mt. San Antonio College on March 13.
Longtime COC Women’s Basketball Coach Herrick Enshrined in Hall of Fame
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
March 19: Planning Commission to Discuss Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
March 30: Dive into Spring at Splash n’ Dash Egg Hunt
String orchestras and concert bands from around the Santa Clarita Valley and Southern California will participate in the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association concert festival hosted by West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
March 26-27: SoCal School Band, Orchestra Concert Festival
SCVNews.com