By Shelley Westerson
Trail leading into the Haskell Canyon wash off of Open Space ridgeline
A little known entity called Santa Clarita’s Open Space District has used your tax dollars to prevent the development of more than 500 homes in a local neighborhood, it was revealed in a public meeting recently.
It is the city’s Open Space District (OSD) that held the meeting for Haskell Canyon residents a few weeks ago, and attendees discussed plans for the 526 acres where homes were to be built.
Open space is the undeveloped area around a community that supplies natural, unspoiled land for recreational activities, wildlife reserve and protection from growth and development.
The Haskell Canyon Open Space (HCOS) was purchased by the OSD in 2011 for approximately $3.1 million when the land was planned for the development of over 500 homes. Now that homes won’t be built there, the city has other plans, such as parks.
Citizens voted to have a $30 property tax charge annually that goes to the OSD to improve Santa Clarita parks, and that money was used to purchase land.
“We use that money, but we also leverage it with grant funding when we can. So we apply for grants to be able to offset the cost for the tax payers,” said Kate Lessard, administrative analyst for the Parks and Open Space District. “It makes more financial sense.”
The City of Santa Clarita OSD is going to expand public access to the trails on the westerly portion of the HCOS. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the residents of the plans to enhance the land and get their feedback.
“The biggest thing is that the citizens voted to be taxed in order to buy this property,” said Chris Price, assistant city engineer. “So our job is to conserve it, to keep people from developing it with more houses, but we also want them to be able to get out there and enjoy it. They paid for it, it’s open space, it’s not to stay off, but we have got to do it responsibly, smartly, and with a very low amount of money.”
Many were concerned with the public access through the Haskell Canyon wash. There are no automotive vehicles allowed in the wash, but parking is accessible off Copper Hill Dr. by the kiosk near High Ridge Dr.
A gate can be seen from the road that does not allow any motorized vehicles, but is accessible to people walking, horses or wheel chairs and easy to walk over. The OSD plans to add more kiosks at significant trail heads.
Other possibilities include a dog park, the installation of more trash cans and dog bags, as well as trail markers. For all these advances to become a reality the city needs volunteers.
In the 1900’s, the 526 acres now known as the HCOS was homesteaded by the Haskell Canyon family as a cattle ranch. Later on, in the 1950’s, the property was used by the Agajanian family to raise hogs.
A few years ago a developer from San Diego wanted to turn the area and the surrounding hillsides into the development of more than 500 homes. When residents of the area heard of the plan, many objected, and that’s when the city decided to purchase the area for preservation. Improvements to the area can be expected as early as spring.
For more information visit www.hikesantaclarita.com or call (661)284-1420
500 new homes are prevented by open space district
