Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : City Warned of Housing Proposal on Ammo Site : Development: Critics cite likely leftover toxic material in the soil and a road system that is expected to bring noise.

SANTA CLARITA — Dozens of residents here are sending up a flare about a massive residential development to be built on the site of an old munitions factory in the center of the city.

Several people warned the City Council at its meeting Tuesday that the 2,911-unit Porta Bella housing project is fraught with potential liability for the city because of likely leftover contamination on the property and a questionable road system.

“We’re not opposed to development. We’re opposed to this type of development,” said Christopher Townsley, a Placerita Canyon resident. “We don’t like it being ramrodded down our throat.”

As proposed by Northholme Partners, Porta Bella includes 1,667 condominiums and 1,244 single-family homes to be built on 996 acres south of Soledad Canyon Road and east of San Fernando Road in the Saugus area. It includes a 27-acre business park, 450 acres of preserved open space and land set aside for Santa Clarita’s future civic center.

Porta Bella is the largest residential development project in Santa Clarita’s seven-year history. It was approved by the city Planning Commission in June and is scheduled for a series of public hearings before the council.

Critics, led by residents of the nearby Circle J Ranch community, note the likelihood of toxic material remaining in the soil. The Whittaker Corp. manufactured and tested ammunition, explosives and flares there from 1906 to 1987.

The possibility of heavy metals being in the soil was raised by the draft environmental impact report prepared for the project in 1993, as were concerns that Porta Bella will cut into a major ridgeline and add traffic to already busy streets.

The state Department of Toxic Substances Control and the federal Environmental Protection Agency have identified 14 distinct spots at the site containing waste of munitions-related byproducts. Whittaker has cleared 13 of them, so far, to the satisfaction of authorities.

Sixty-four other sites have been identified as having possible contamination.

Santa Clarita officials have long said they will require Whittaker Corp. to be liable for any future toxic problems at the site, but residents said lawsuits would undoubtedly be directed against anyone considered negligent.

“I have a 2-year-old son,” said resident Renee Sabol. “If anything happens to my son because of negligence, God help them.”

Residents also are concerned about the road system proposed through the property, including elevated overpasses that are expected to bring traffic noise to the nearby community.

“We saw what happens to overpasses in the earthquake,” said Dean Cheeseman, a Circle J Ranch resident.

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Porta Bella’s developers say the project provides Santa Clarita with needed infrastructure, including a better network of roads that may actually deflect traffic from the Circle J Ranch community.

“We want this project to be successful,” said Sam Veltri, project manager. “I believe we have demonstrated that with our planning process.”

Council members Tuesday agreed that both the toxic contamination and road system issues must be addressed before Porta Bella will be considered for approval. They are scheduled to visit the Porta Bella site at 7 a.m. Sept. 24, in a tour that is open to the public.

“We’re interested in doing this one right,” said Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy. “If it’s not right, we won’t pass it.”

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