Old Town Newhall Gazette, Feb.-March 2008


		THE GAZETTE. February-March 2008 • Year 14, Number 1. Newhall Moving Forward. By CHRIS PRICE Assistant City Engineer, City Of Santa Clarita. I have been working and living in the Santa Clarita Valley for twenty years, and from my first job at the corner of San Fernando Road — now officially Main Street — and Market, to my long-term career at the city of Santa Clarita, I have been working on and in Newhall the entire two decades. During the last two years, I have spent more time talking about Newhall than in the previous eighteen years combined. Everyone from my family and friends to people I am introduced to who find out I work for the city want to know what is going to happen in Newhall. Just about everyone has seen the steady changes over the years, but the ones we all are working on now are the most dramatic and will have some of the most lasting impacts. Twenty years from now — I'll be retired, but probably still in the SCV — people will hopefully look back at the trials and tribulations of this period of Newhall's history and say, "I am glad we did what we did back then. Newhall has never been better." As 2008 builds steam, city staff, the Newhall Redevelopment Committee and the Old Town Newhall Association are already deeply immersed in the next set of goals for the revitalization of Newhall. A new marketing plan is well under way to bring more attention to the merchants of our Old Town (see MyNewMainStreet.com). The Santa Clarita Redevelopment Agency has purchased property to set the stage for the relocation and substantial expansion of the Newhall Library. The final two stages of the renaming of major streets approaching Newhall are almost complete. Several exciting development projects are nearing the approval stages. The entire streetscape project is now well under design. By year's end, "My New Main Street" in Old Town Newhall may look like an entirely new place. As you may have read in the last two editions of the Gazette, street name changes are taking place in Newhall. The City Council voted January 22 to change "San Fernando Road" to "Newhall Avenue" from Highway 14 north to Fifth Street. Public participation is ongoing in regard to the changes of the San Fernando Road name between Lyons Avenue and Magic Mountain Parkway, but they should wrap up and be completed in time for a final change in February. Further efforts to improve traffic circulation and to beautify Newhall are also in the works. Plans for a traffic circle on Newhall Avenue adjacent to Hart Park should be under way soon to help more commuters flow by Newhall during the morning and evening peak times. Simple modifications to traffic lanes adjacent to the Jan Heidt Metrolink Station in Newhall may be implemented soon to reduce congestion when city transit buses stop at this critical transportation hub. The entire streetscape project is under design to transform the "look" of Main Street, with substantially more landscaping; a new storm drain with clean storm water-friendly catch basins; antique-looking street lights with underground wiring; street furniture; and decorative paving at all intersections for a unique sense of place. Public participation to discuss these changes will commence in February, so you will be able to provide input and follow the schedule to construction if you choose to participate. The new Newhall Library is now firmly on the table, and preparations for public participation are being made now. While the tiny book box on Ninth and Walnut streets has worked hard and served the community well over the years, it is time to create a much bigger, more modern facility that provides an example of what a library can be in the twenty-first century. A collaboration between the city, the county, and a large number of community groups will come together to create a custom SCV library that should set a new standard. This project will be very exciting and will serve as a monument to the efforts so many people have and continue to put forth to improve our entire community. While all of these public-driven efforts begin to take root in Newhall, private development interests are also getting involved. Redevelopment is intended as a tool to help public and private investment create the changes necessary to revitalize a neighborhood. Several exciting projects are currently being discussed inside and outside of City Hall. The very first approval under the code provided in the Downtown Newhall Specific Plan may be granted by the time you read this. The "Salazar Center," which is planned to be a beautiful new structure right on San Fernando Road at Fourteenth Street, will have room for at least one large restaurant and a good amount of new retail space with underground parking. Should Mr. Salazar continue with the building, it will be the first private project constructed under the guidelines of the specific plan. City staff members are very excited about this project and several others that are in earlier stages of development. Stay tuned to the Gazette to read more about what is coming. The year 2008 promises to be a very exciting one for Newhall. ©2008, Old Town Newhall USA. All rights reserved.

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