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A picture of the hillside taken a few years ago, when the land was still being maintained.

Solar Panels Roil Some Residents After Housing Agency OKs Project

Manufactured home residents in Canyon Country might have to sue to stop 20-foot tall solar panels from going up literally next to their backyards.


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Residents planned a meeting for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Canyon View Estates. Some residents of the manufactured home park were given notice in February about the construction of solar panels on the hillside behind their homes. The first phase of the panel installations looks to be done at the end of the month.

The solar panels’ future home is on land adjacent to their properties, about a mile behind Soledad Canyon and Camp Plenty Road. The plans are turning the once-green hillside into an eyesore of a solar farm, according to some.

Several residents contacted by KHTS News on Monday, who live next to the construction, were not bothered. However, some who purchased 99-year leases on their property, called the solar panels a “plain old money grab” that threatened the value of their investment, and even contacted a lawyer. That might be their only recourse.

Officials with the state Housing and Community Development Department, or HCD, have indicated there’s no appeal mechanism for their permitting process, meaning the residents might have to spend to seek satisfaction.

“Whatever recourse they might have is not through (the HCD),” said Evan Gerberding, PIO for the HCD. “We’re sorry that they’re upset, but we’re limited in what we can approve and deny.”

The HCD has a limited scope for what it can look at and consider for an approval, Gerberding said.

“The one thing we look at is, ‘Is it safe?’” she said. “If it’s safe and it doesn’t violate any kind of requirement, then we say, ‘Yes, you can do that.’ We’re limited in terms of what we can deny.”

As far as requirements go, Gerberding said HCD officials consider local city and county ordinances that would be applicable. Based on HCD officials’ consideration of local zoning laws and codes, the project wouldn’t have been stopped, she said.

“There was no basis for us to say no or to deny that permit,” said Gerberding who also stated that the HCD evaluates the safety of the project as well as any regulations the city or county may have in place before issuing a permit.

City of Santa Clarita officials confirmed numerous complaints about the project, but with respect to jurisdiction, a mobile home or manufactured home park falls under the HCD, said John Caprarelli, a city of Santa Clarita building official. A city inspector was on site recently to verify the project did have the necessary permits filed with the HCD, Caprarelli said.

“We suggest that residents try to work directly with the home park owner,” said Gerberding, offering a solution.

The property owner, Kerry Seidenglanz, affirmed his right to “go green,” as well as save some money on the utilities he pays for the park’s common areas, which includes lighting for the roads, etc.

The residents’ utility bills will be unaffected by the project, Seidenglanz said. The residents’ power is distributed on a grid and they have their own meters. He buys and sells them power on a grid created by the park, at cost, Seidenglanz said.

The park owner also dismissed health concerns alleged against the panels, noting, “If it wasn’t healthy, they wouldn’t be allowed.”

Resident Ben Turner, who contacted a lawyer, said when he realized the retainer alone he was quoted for legal services would be about $7,000, he realized he’d need to reach out to his neighbors.

Residents are expected to discuss their response and potential options at Wednesday’s meeting.

KHTS AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio

Solar Panels Roil Some Residents After Housing Agency OKs Project

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.