Canyon Country News
Princessa Crossroads: What the 146-Acre Canyon Country Plan Means for SCV
A 146-acre mixed-use Specific Plan for the east side of Canyon Country was introduced to the Santa Clarita Planning Commission on October 6, 2026. It proposes up to 300 apartments, a large business park, and the long-planned Via Princessa extension toward Golden Valley Road. Here is what local residents and buyers should know, from your east-side insider, Sam Silver.
October 14, 2026 Sam Silver 5 min read
What Is Princessa Crossroads?
Princessa Crossroads is a proposed mixed-use Specific Plan on roughly 146 acres of hilly, largely undeveloped open space on the east side of Canyon Country, sitting between the future Via Princessa corridor and Golden Valley Road. It is a big one: the plan calls for about 63 acres of business park and commercial uses, roughly 52 acres of developed open space, and a corner of multifamily housing, plus a road that has been talked about for a decade.
The project was formally introduced to the Santa Clarita Planning Commission on October 6, 2026 (Master Case 24-093). That introduction is a milestone, not a final approval. A draft Specific Plan was released in early October, and the Draft Environmental Impact Report was scheduled for release in mid-October. It will be years before shovels go in the ground, so consider this your early briefing.
On the Map: East of Golden Valley Road
The site is east of Golden Valley Road, along the future extension of Via Princessa, directly north of Golden Valley High School and south of the George A. Caravalho Santa Clarita Sports Complex, in the Robert C. Lee Parkway area. If you have driven Sierra Highway or Golden Valley Road in the east valley, you have seen these chaparral-covered hills from the road.
It is a genuinely connected location for the east side: the Sports Complex already anchors recreation (including the Haskell Canyon Bike Park), Golden Valley High School sits next door, and the new Vista Canyon Bridge has improved east-side connections along Soledad Canyon Road.
Site at a Glance
- 146 total acres, mostly open hillside, with about 112 acres graded on-site
- Roughly 63 acres of business park and commercial uses
- About 52 acres of developed open space, plus 7 more acres left undeveloped
- Roughly 8 acres in the southeast corner, north of Robert C. Lee Parkway, for housing
- Zoning mix: Business Park (BP), Urban Residential 5 (UR5), Public Institutional (PI), and Neighborhood Commercial (NC)
What Is Actually Proposed
The draft Specific Plan, released in early October 2026, spells out four main pieces. Here is each one, in plain language.
Up to 300 Apartments
Southeast corner, north of Robert C. Lee Pkwy
The residential piece is up to 300 market-rate apartments proposed in four four-story buildings on about eight acres in the southeast corner of the property. It is a modest amount of housing for a project this size, but it would be the first new multifamily product in that part of east Canyon Country in years.
Up to 1.5 Million Sq Ft of Business Park
About 60-63 acres
The commercial engine is a business park with up to 1.5 million square feet of commercial and light-industrial uses on roughly 60 to 63 acres. That is the kind of employment-generating land the valley has wanted for years: office and light-industrial space close to the freeway-adjacent east side, rather than more retail.
Open Space & Trail Connections
~52 developed acres plus 7 undeveloped
About 52 acres of developed open space and 7 more acres of undeveloped open space are planned, with a multiuse trail connection toward the Santa Clarita Sports Complex. For a hilly east-side site, that fits the neighborhood character: canyon views, chaparral, and connections to the valley's trail network rather than wall-to-wall pavement.
The Via Princessa Extension
From Sheldon Ave toward Golden Valley Rd
The project wraps in the extension of Via Princessa from its current terminus near Sheldon Avenue toward Golden Valley Road, a connection the City Council approved back in 2015. It is ultimately planned at three lanes in each direction. For east-side commuters and Sports Complex families, that is potentially the biggest day-to-day change of all.
Where the Project Stands
This project has been around longer than you might think. It was first submitted to the city back in 2017, went through an environmental scoping notice in March 2025, and finally reached the Planning Commission in October 2026. Here is the honest status:
First Submitted to the City
The project's long planning history began when the application was first submitted years ago; it has evolved since.
EIR Scoping Notice Published
The Notice of Preparation for the Draft Environmental Impact Report opened public scoping on the impacts to study.
Planning Commission Introduction
The city introduced the draft Princessa Crossroads Specific Plan publicly for the first time. Not an approval, but the formal kickoff of public review.
Draft EIR Release
The Draft Environmental Impact Report was scheduled for release in mid-October 2026. Public comment windows follow, then Planning Commission and Council hearings.
Sam's honest read: this is years from breaking ground. The environmental review alone will take time, and the extension of Via Princessa has been planned for a decade. What matters for buyers today is trajectory: the east side keeps getting infrastructure, parks, and now a large employment and housing plan, which supports the long-term story we follow closely on the SCV market updates.
What It Means for Life on the East Side
Canyon Country has always been the valley's value play: more affordable homes, bigger lots, and unbeatable access to nature. A project like this reinforces that positioning in three specific ways.
Jobs Closer to Home
Up to 1.5 million square feet of business park space could bring office and light-industrial jobs to the east side. Residents who today commute to the 5 or the 14 corridor would have a closer option.
A Long-Awaited Road Connection
The Via Princessa extension has been a planning-layer item since 2015. Tying it into a private development is one of the more realistic paths to actually building it, which would ease east-side circulation and give Sports Complex traffic a second route.
More Housing, Kept in Scale
300 apartments on a 146-acre site is a modest residential footprint, with the majority of the land staying commercial or open space. For a valley that needs entry points into homeownership and rentals, every new unit counts. The more affordable east side is where much of that demand lives.
Want to Understand the East Side Market?
Sam Silver has represented buyers and sellers across Canyon Country for over two decades and watches every development file in the valley. If you are considering a home on the east side, or just want to know what new projects mean for your street, start with the Canyon Country neighborhood guide or reach out directly.
Development news goes hand in hand with where you live. Pair this with the big picture of SCV development, the August parks and trails update that covered Via Princessa Park, and the Saugus vs. Valencia comparison for how the east and west sides differ.