Santa Clarita council approves expanded Hartwell mixed‑use project despite parking objections

The Santa Clarita City Council on Tuesday approved a modification to the Hartwell mixed‑use project in Old Town Newhall that expands the five‑story development to include the adjacent KHTS radio property, raising the total number of apartments to 98 and adding roughly 1,100 square feet of commercial space.

Erica Iverson, the city’s senior planner, told the council the modification increases on‑site parking to 158 spaces and raises the per‑unit parking ratio to about 1.6 spaces per unit; staff concluded the revised parking demand study shows sufficient on‑street and on‑site capacity and that no further CEQA action is required. Iverson said the change is an approximately 25% expansion of the originally approved project and that required mitigation from the Old Town Newhall specific plan and the prior EIR remain in effect.

The modification prompted dozens of public comments from nearby businesses and residents. Frank Maga told the council the project would “massively increase vehicle traffic” and urged either rejection or binding enforcement conditions to address on‑street parking, construction impacts and business displacement. Tim Van Goghtsen, executive director of Canyon Theatre Guild, said the developer’s parking study is flawed, calling the methodology inadequate to capture peak event demand and arguing the project would push cars onto Main Street and surrounding private lots. Several small‑business owners and theater volunteers described weekend parking pinch points and urged measures like restored shuttles and a future parking structure.

Developer representative Jason Tolleson said the project team negotiated a purchase agreement with KHTS as a mitigation approach to address sound and operational conflicts during construction and relocation, and that the inclusion of the KHTS site made the expansion feasible. “We consummated an agreement with KHTS to purchase the building and relocate KHTS away from a construction map and agreed that was the best solution,” Tolleson said.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant on the revised parking analysis, the amount and destination of in‑lieu parking fees (Iverson said the modification adds about $88,000 in in‑lieu fees) and the statutory limits imposed by state housing law and AB 2097 on requiring additional parking near major transit stops. Councilmember Marsha McLean asked whether the 30‑day window to demonstrate a significant parking impact had been reset by the modification; staff and legal counsel said the council is within the timeframe to make such a determination and must base any finding on substantial evidence in the record.

The vote followed a heated exchange over the developer’s decision to acquire the KHTS property rather than pay a larger historic‑preservation fee. Mayor Miranda voiced concerns about the optics of the transaction and said public perceptions had complicated the council’s deliberations. Councilmember Jason Gibbs announced he would recuse himself from the item because he received campaign contributions from property owners whose land is now included in the modified site.

After public hearing closure, the council adopted the staff recommendation to approve Master Case 25‑0089. Councilmember Ayala moved the motion; the roll call showed recorded affirmative votes from Councilmember Ayala, Councilwoman McLean and Mayor Miranda. The record indicates at least one member had recused from participating in the matter.

What’s next: staff and the applicant will proceed with demolition permits and construction‑drawing submittals; the developer said demolition permits were expected soon and it was preparing construction plans. The project remains subject to required mitigation measures under the Old Town Newhall specific plan and any conditions attached to the council approval.