Update as of 10/3/25

Statement from SCOPE on the Approval of the Lyons Canyon Project

Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment (SCOPE) appealed this project in an effort
to address fire and habitat concern. This 510 unit project in the natural area next to Towsley Canyon
Park is in a county designated Significant Ecological area. It will destroy around 300 protected trees,
including 18 heritage oaks and underground streams. It will also place future residents in a Very High
Severity Fire Hazard Zone with inadequate evacuation and high to unobtainable insurance rates. We
continue to believe that giving density bonuses to this developer for placing seniors in this dangerous
area is just bad planning.

We appealed this project to the Supervisors in the hopes that
1. a fire station would be required as it was in the original 2008 project approval.
2. The Old Road would be widened at least to the Colegrove exit to ensure timely fire evacuation
3. A back up energy storage would be required for the four-story senior apartments to ensure seniors
would have lights and a functioning elevator in a multi-day public safety energy shutoff.

At the hearing, Supervisor Barger read a pre-written motion to approve before even hearing the
remaining public speakers. We regret that none of the above issues were addressed. Road widening will
occur merely in front of the project, money will be donated to the Fire Department for equipment with
no indication of where that equipment will go, no back up energy source beyond 90 minutes up for the
seniors in case of a PSPS.

Lynne Plambeck, President of SCOPE, made the following statement:
“The One Valley One Vision 2012 General Plan update promised a green belt around the City of Santa
Clarita and supported infill projects. Placing high density housing next to the Towsley Canyon Open
Space contradicts this vision and places seniors in a dangerous fire area.”

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Update as of 9/12/25

In July the LA County Planning Commission approved this project. SCOPE has appealed the decision. The LA County Board of Supervisors will hear the appeal on Tuesday Sept. 23, 2025. 

Please help stop this development by voicing your concerns to the LA County Board of Supervisors. You can do so by emailing publichearing@bos.lacounty.gov with the subject line "Lyons Canyon Project No.: PRJ2021-001195" by Sept. 19th. (If you already sent an email to the Planning Commission, please send it to the Supervisors as well, so they will hear your voice.)

Opposition can also be voiced via phone or in person on the AM of Sept. 23. The in person meeting will be in downtown LA. For more info. about participating via phone or in person, please contact exec-scope@earthlink.net

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Community members decry proposal to build in the dangerous wildfire area of Lyons Canyon only 6 months after disastrous Los Angeles wildfires.  Even while many Eaton and Palisades fire victims have lost everything and remain unable to rebuild their homes, the county plans to consider yet another housing project in the dangerous wildfire area of Lyons Canyon.

New Urban West, a Santa Monica developer, is proposing to build 508 houses in Lyons Canyon and called The Trails in an area designated as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The area has already been ravaged by several severe, wind-driven wild fires and many residents are now unable to obtain fire insurance. In spite of the project being nearly three miles from the nearest fire station, the developer says he cannot make room for a fire station and residents will have to depend on a helicopter’s ability to obtain water from a nearby water tank. But we all know that helicopters aren’t able to fly in Southern California’s wind-driven fires. 

Perhaps the most egregious wildfire issue, however, is this project proposes to put senior housing in this Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.  The Eaton and Palisades fires caused 29 deaths, most of them elderly residents who could not evacuate (1).  The Trails at Lyons Canyon Project proposes that almost 10% of the new units will be deed-restricted rental apartments for very-low-income senior citizens. Senior citizens, particularly low-income seniors, experience increased vulnerability to hazards (2). Not only do they often have physical or medical impediments to evacuation but also, they may not have enough money to afford to evacuate.

This project is located in an oak woodland. Around 318 trees will be removed, a tributary placed under ground and massive grading. The project will be built along a popular hiking trail in Towsley Canyon, significantly impacting the viewshed along that trail and impacting wildlife with this dangerous incursion into an open space area.  Enough is enough. Please help us say no to more building in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) that endanger future residents and put financial burdens on all of us.

You can help us say to stop building in VHFHSZs by: 

• Making a donation to help fund the appeal to the LA County Board of Supervisors by visiting SCOPE.org. 
• Signing the petition
• You can get more information about the project on the county website located here: https://bit.ly/3xYekD8
• If you would like to join our team, please contact exec-scope@earthlink.net 

(1) https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/02/09/la-fire-victims-california-palisades-altadena/ (2) Adams, R. M., Evans, C. M., Mathews, M. C., Wolkin, A., & Peek, L. (2020). Mortality From Forces of Nature Among Older Adults by Race/Ethnicity and Gender. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 40(11), 1517-1526. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464820954676; Mileti, Dennis S. (2004). Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press.