Have you seen the library hours? Let's see, what days and times would be most convenient for patrons? Well, most adults work during the day, and most kids need rides, so 4pm-9pm during the week, and all day on weekends. But alas, the library is open to 8 M&Tu, to 6 Wed and Thurs, and to 5 Fri and Sat, and closed on weekends. Look, the hours, the location, the lack of a study, all indicate the purpose was to occupy space in a location that would be vacant. The so called Castaic Town Center was horribly planned. Egress and ingress is a joke. And the freeway offramp-gas stations-residential cross traffic nightmare along The Old Road.

The Castaic Library is open

LA County staff conducted a study concerning the Acton/Agua Dule library:
http://www.library.ca.gov/lba2000/c3appdoc...sAssessment3026.pdf

Was a similar study conducted by LA County staff concerning the Castaic Library?

no high school, lack of parks, hodge podge development in northern castaic, vacancies galore, a library built in an inconvenient location in a strip mall. even the lake could be better developed and managed. clearly annexation is superior based on performance. it's a no brainer. it's like studying whether the traffic is increasing. why then has it been so slow? because the losers will be the town council representatives who seek to establish political positions for themselves.

By this logic, there would be no change. Someone is always first. The question is, why is the development in northern Castaic focused on the transient population instead of the local residents? Because it can and it's profitable. And this type of development forever dooms the residential community to second rate crap, like a library in a strip mall, and hideously ugly shopping centers that keep churning over crap businesses instead of anything nice or classy. Lollies died out because it was banal and more expensive. The decor was banal, it was self serve, it's menu was limited in selection and flavor (though not bad tasting, not special either) and it was more expensive than surrounding food places. There was no mystery to its failure, like most unimaginative failures. Is there any Rite Aid anywhere in Santa Clarita like the Rite Aid in northern Castaic? Is there any Ralph's like the one in northern Castaic? Is there any new structures with mosque domes like the one in northern Castaic, or with the type of limited inconvenient egress and ingress? Is there anywhere in Santa Clarita with as high a concentration of fast food per capita as in northern Castaic? Are there new public libraries like the one in Castaic? Is there any other Santa Clarita community with as many residents and no high school as Castaic? Would any owner anywhere else in Santa Clarita paint their exterior pastel colors? The design theme is not country, or anything. It's a motley junkyard design. The Vine is hilariously stupid. I hope a truck wash gets installed next to it. The only way to change the mindset of potential businesses development is to relocate the truck stop, and maybe the theme will change for the better.

http://www.darlavanderlip.com/blog/santa-c...the-focus/#more-269

Castaic (not inlcuding Val Verde) has four times the population of Topanga Canyon and six times the population of Acton. Yet both areas got new library buildings (not vacant store front stalls) that cost more and offer more square footage. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8856692

what vacancies?
Castaic Town Center: The bottom strip mall has a cleaners, dentist office, and nail salon. That's a fourth of the spaces. I will admit the dentist office may be closing, but that would still be 2 filled out of 10 spaces. The upper level has a karate dojo and mexican resturant, and the other spaces will ultimately be filled with a public library. I'll grant you it is highly unusual to have a public library in a strip mall.

The Old Road: The Old Rd is getting another strip mall south of Rainbow Liquor and north of the new condos. And, it's getting an advertising kind of car dealership and a restaurant adjacent the County Maintenance facility. Sure there were lot's of protests to the project by the neighbors who will will have to endure the traffic and freeway signs, but always remember, anything is always better than nothing in northern Castaic.

Ah yes, let's not forget Ralphs. The facade and landscaping of the exterior has no equal, and the strip mall has a cleaners, nail salon, haircut, dentist office, facey clinic, and fast food italian. Then several non leased spaces. These are the same kind of establishments seen in the new West Ranch strip mall. Not! The basket n robbins has been on the market for years, and the quiznos owner spends a lot of time out front his operation. Blockbuster video (this is a keeper) and the Starbuck's owner has another Starbuck's within sight. Washington Mutual (which is actually very nice), and the fast food horror next door.

The Vine: Kragen auto (I hope they have very low overhead), and the extended/alternative education center (much like what you see in north Valencia-oh wait, those are higher learning places), another nail salon (yippee), and second Starbuck's within spitting distance of the other one, and of course, more fast food. Lord knows Castaic needs more fast food places. And still four spaces are not leased.

The new medical center: Well, with a retirement community across the street they were probably thinking the same thing as Walgreen's with their pharmacy. But that's not all, supposedly it will have spaces for other businesses.

But wait, an Arco gas station and other fine establishments are destined for the corner of Parker and Castaic?

I've just got to say, it's nice to see that the entire area of was considered, and an overall well thought out plan developed and executed for the primary benefit of local residents, otherwise individual establishments may have popped up all over and local residents may have ended up with too many of one kind of business, or businesses that fail to focus on the needs and desires of the local community but instead focus on the transient population. And without such a plan it's likely too many lease spaces would have resulted in numerous non leased spaces, which would result in filling the spaces with less desirable businesses. It's a good thing...Not!

Once upon a time, The Vine was supposed to get a Tropical Smoothie...
http://newmedia.the-signal.com/news/article/780/

you must mean this dealership http://oldsite.the-signal.com/?module=disp...d=32151&format=html

Who in their right mind would approve a car dealership at Parker and The Old Rd.? Nickel and diming the community to death with these small useless developments that add more traffic with zero improvements. North Castaic is a friggin dumping ground for crap. And it will only get worse because the numerous vacncies will be filled with more undesriable businesses.

http://oldsite.the-signal.com/?module=disp...d=35615&format=html

Weeeeeeeeeeeee! The Pretty N Pink joins Lollies and the florist store in leaving the Walgreen's shopping center. The Ralph's strip mall lost a couple of businesses and now has a bunch of vacancies. The Vine still has four non leased spaces. But won't stop additional construction and creation of more non leased spaces. Acton gets a new 11,000 plus sq. ft library built from scratch, and Castaic get's 6900 sq. ft. leased out of a location never intended for a library and hardly conveniently located. North Castaic is simply doomed, and the apathetic resdients wonder why they don't have a high school? There are so many examples of mismanagement and getting dumped on. Guess there's no way to shake the prison/truck stop image.

And just like that, their problems are solved http://lacounty.info/bos/sop/supdocs/36437.pdf

Must be pure happenstance...NOT!

Triple Net Acquires Castaic Town Center

http://www.1031nnn.com/realEstate.aspx?m=8&pid=331

Acton has half the population of Castaic. Wouldn't it be funny if it got a high school before Castaic?

acton high school bond http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displays...d=52450&format=html

More and more restaurants and businesses in and around the truck stop. Lake traffic is already plenty. Truck stop has got to be relocated to another location while another location is available.

BTW, when, not if, the County goes broke again, Lake should be privatized, perhaps semi-privatized, so restaurants could be built around it.

Not just prostitution, but drugs too. It's such a wholesome family environment. One things for sure, a wholesome community can never have too many fast food places.
http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displays...d=52449&format=html

stupid is a stupid does, sir! what a joke! ralph's, walgreen, the vine, across from ralph's, and then adjacent the county maintenance facility. vacancies upon vacancies. and eventually the corner of castaic and parker. "well, no one else would rent it, so we "had" to rent to it to the loser". "we couldn't just leave it vacant". "after all, it is just a truck stop anyways."

welp, ur, looks like Lallie's closed. Good thing the Vine's is opening. Now there will be vacancies at three places, Ralph's shopping center, Walgreen's shopping center, and soon the Vine shopping center. Looking forward to the proposed new shopping center off the old road north of the new townhouses. Can't have too many vacancies. Not!

I wish the County would provide funds to landscape the areas along The Old Road north of Parker Road so the ugly chain link fence and trash wasn't visible.
http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displays...d=51005&format=html

Fast food moratorium in South LA, but not in Castaic!

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fa...coll=la-home-center

More to look forward to:
http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listi...ode=1lww2t006a00001

A truck stop provides a wholesome environment for children and families, including diesel exhaust, traffic congestion with poor visibility, and prostitution. Santa Clarita is working fervently to change the image of downtown Newhall, but our town council does nothing to improve the trucking area.
http://www.dailynews.com/santaclarita/ci_6255877

http://www.dailynews.com/santaclarita/ci_6166388

When I sitting in traffic, composed of trucks and vehicles mostly from outsiders that don't live in the 91384 area code, seven days a week, is that fair? I didn't buy a home in the northern Castaic area code knowing a High School and 4000 more homes would be built. I wasn't handed a report stating the truck traffic on the I-5 would double in ten years.

I was told a High School would be built by 2006 in the Hasley Canyon area.

I know a High School is needed. I don't want to be a nimby. But dumping so much traffic, pollution, and noise in one location seven days a week is unfair.

I know trucks are vital to our economy. But the truck area is changing from commercial to residential, and the realistic thing to do is have their operation relocated while it's still possible. To ignore this is irresponsible planning.

There's an article on today's Siganl regarding the Northlake development and the upcoming County hearing http://www.dailynews.com/santaclarita/ci_6166388

I'm sure there's plenty of support for the Northlake development and High School High School from Castaic parents that won't be directly impacted by the traffic, and of course local businesses. If the original location was was rejected because of traffic, will the new location better from a traffic perspective? I kind of doubt it. Sure the original location had traffic from the industrial center, but the roads into and out of the Hasley area were planned for this level of traffic. The Northlake area is heavily impacted by truck traffic and Lake traffic, although most of the Lake traffic occurs on weekends. In addition, the Sports Complex brings in traffic, although this again is mainly on weekends. With the additonal 4000 homes and a High School, the Northlake area will be impacted by traffic on weekdays and weekends, while the original location would have had a reprieve from traffic on the weekends. If the truck traffic doubles, it could get scary.

What about air quality and noise impacts to local residents in the Northlake area? Why should they have to be subjected to even more pollution and noise from all the traffic?

Eyesore signage targeted by the City of Santa Clarita-
one more reason Castaic should annex to Santa Clarita.
http://www.dailynews.com/santaclarita/ci_6048281

According to http://www.cuddyvalley.org/comments/tran_northlake.pdf
truck traffic along the I-5 will double. And whatever adverse traffic/safety impacts this produces along the I-5, will be nothing in comparsion with the impacts in and around the Castaic truck stop. This impact alone will be a traffic nightmare for local residents. And adding 4000 homes and a High School will be a disaster. And local property values will plummet along with the quality of life, and so it goes...

The Vine tenants http://www.regencycenters.com/PropertyDetail.aspx?PID=310
Still only half occupied. Tropical Smoothie bailed. Starbucks is relocating from the Ralph's shopping center ( http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=31099109 )to The Vine. There's a huge "Space for Lease" banner sign on the Old Road side of the Walgreen's shopping center.

BTW, a small shopping plaza is going in between the new detached no-yard homes north of Parker and the Rainbow Liquor store, which will only make things worse.

Masterful. There's no other way to describe it. Our Town Council and the County have done a masterful job orchestrating local development.

Incorporation? Yah right! We need to annex to Santa Clarita now (if they'll take this disaster).

Operation of the Castaic Lakes is a money loser. The American economy is expected to slow considerably when the huge wave, an estimated 70 million, of post WWII baby boomers retire, 2010-2025. Pro-active steps to ensure financial stability of Lake opertions should be taken now. I recommend leasing shore land around the lakes, e.g., upscale restaurants, to generate revenue.

All of Castaic should annex to Santa Clarita ASAP.

The truck stop in northern Castaic should be relocated ASAP.

If pre-fab buildings reduce costs without sacrificing quality or safety, they should be the norm, not the exception.

Article in The Signal-Trucks Act As Rolling Road Block
http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displays...d=48463&format=html

No Kidding! And that's pretty much what driving along Castaic Road between Parker and Lake Hughes is everyday. And it's no surprise because it is a truck stop. But what is outrageous is adding 4000 more homes and a High School in this location! There's no way to mitigate rolling road blocks. So either relocate the truck stop, or don't build 4000 homes and a High School at this location.

Edited by author 05-03-2007 10:36 AM
Golf Course in Northlake? Ha! New $10 million swimming facility next to the Castaic Sports Complex? Not! Even if it was built, it would be over run with non-locals from lower Castaic Lake. Northern Castaic is doomed to become another San Pedro. Middle class buy homes as a short term stepping stone. Just look at the housing turnover. By the time Castaic High School is built, it will be an ugly piece of pre-fabbed crap that "compliments the surroundings", a traffic nightmare, and over crowded. Heck, a moto-cross was being proposed in the area and the local town council was actually considering it. What a bunch of . Can you imagine a moto-cross, lake traffic, truck stop, Sports Complex, 4000 more homes worth of traffic, high school, all in one location with limited access? Who would give such a proposal serious consideration? The only action that will give the area some slim chance for improvement is relocation of the truck stop.

Well at least the recent article in The Signal ( http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displays...d=47199&format=html ) regarding the Castaic High School mentioned traffic from the new Northlake homes and new school, and trucks, but nothing was mentioned about the existing Castaic Lake visitor traffic. Nor was it stated that the impacts from trucks is far different than impacts from cars. If the truck stop was relocated, and the off ramps and traffic signals improved, and perhaps the Lake bound traffic rerouted, it could work. But I doubt all these measures will be implemented. Look at the new traffic signal at Lake Hughes and The Old Road, on the west side of the freeway. That hasn't resolved the real traffic problems caused by having a poorly located and poorly traffic controlled Freeway offramp, gas stations, and a shopping center, that intersect the flow of local residents going to and from their homes. No way would such a maligned configuration be accepted in Valencia or West Ranch. Then there's the issue of the shopping centers. The Ralph's shopping center needs a major facelift, and efforts should have been made to fill it to capacity before allowing the Walgreen's center. And the Walgreen's styling is not only ugly, but weird. Is that a mosque above Lollie's? And so now we have a dilipidated unfilled Ralph's, and an ugly new unfilled Walgreen's. But apparently that isn't enough so in comes The Vine. I'll bet the Vine has difficulty filling it's capacity, and I'll bet most of the businesses are focused on the truckers and Lake visitors, and not on the local community, which means no decent sit down restaurants, stores, or entertainment, e.g., movie theatre. Instead we'll see fast food places and small dumpy businesses, e.g., tatoos, laundary, pawn shop, smoke shop, liquor store etc.. And if that's not enough, there is the County run Sports complex with overhead transmission lines and one horribly maintained soccer field. The baseball fields and indoor gym appear decent. But the playground area is in sad shape, and the one soccer field is in terrible shape. My kids don't play soccer, but my most of my neighbor's kids do. Why not get together with Santa Clarita and plan some new soccer fields? Anyways, a poorly planned High School will only add to the existing traffic woes of the area.

The original site for Castaic High School was rejected by local residents because of traffic concerns. Why hasn't this issue been raised regarding the Northlake site? Castaic Lake receives over 800,000 visitors a year, there is a truck stop, and Northlake is proposing around 4,000 more homes. I suspect traffic will be directed off Parker through Ridge Route Road to avoid truck traffic on Castaic Road, but there will no doubt be spill over onto other streets. In addition, the offramps at Parker and Lake Hughes will be clogged, and the Old Road is reduced to one lane north of Parker, and new single family homes have been crammed immediately west of the Old Road at this location. Mixing High School aged drivers with large trucks is a recipe for disaster. The High School needs to be built, and few residents have vocally opposed the Northlake site, including me, but the truck stop needs to moved somewhere else, perhaps off the 5 freeway at Temple? In any case, the traffic issues and truck stop should be addressed prior to the opening of the High School.

Perhaps the Castaic Town Council should contact LA County regarding Proposition 12 Tree Planting Grants? I'd like to see trees used to block the view of the freeway and areas of visual blight along our roadways. See link provided for more information:
http://www.ufei.org/files/grantinfo/Prop12Planting-Grants.html

Link regarding history of Castaic:
http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/castaic.htm

For further information regarding Castaic, CA, please visit our website at www.castaic.org