Business & Industrial Parks
Home to the largest master-planned industrial park in Los Angeles County, the Santa Clarita Valley has a diverse combination of business and industry, as well as several defined business clusters within target industries. These business clusters include biomedical, entertainment, high technology and aerospace.

Most of the primary centers of industry were conceived or developed by Newhall Land. First to be built was the sprawling, 1,117-acre Valencia Industrial Center, home to hundreds of companies that provide nearly 18,000 jobs. The even larger Valencia Commerce Center covers some 1,600 acres and isn’t even fully developed. These centers comprise the principal industrial market in the Santa Clarita Valley, although the nearby 377-acre Rye Canyon Business Park and the Centre Pointe Business Park also have emerged as key business and light-industrial centers.

The recently developed Centre Point Business Park, covering some 240 acres roughly in the center of the Santa Clarita Valley, is already home to numerous firms and hundreds of jobs. It will eventually offer about 4.5 million square feet of office and industrial space, 180 companies and approximately 7,000 employees.

Newhall Land also has been busy developing and promoting its office parks. The Valencia Corporate Center, also in its infancy in terms of the amount of available square feet, is home to about 1,300 jobs. Gateway Corporate Point provides about 610 jobs, and the Main Street-style Town Center Drive, directly adjacent to the Westfield Valencia Town Center regional mall, provides another 2,400 jobs.

The Santa Clarita Valley has become home to numerous industrial, business and corporate parks, as well as retail and office centers. Technology, industry, retail trade and filming/tourism comprise a substantial share of business activity. New businesses find the valley’s land and leasing opportunities to be beneficial, as well as its transportation, housing and other resources.

The commercial real estate market is a veritable magnet for companies throughout Los Angeles County seeking new and larger facilities. With little or no office or industrial building occurring in the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley is a natural choice for expanding companies.

Another benefit of doing business here is the diverse and well-educated workforce. Statistics show that more than 55 percent of the city’s adult residents have attended college. The city’s economic development division helps smooth the path and eliminate bureaucracy for companies seeking to relocate here. And, the Valley Industrial Association and College of the Canyons have created the Valencia Learning Center, which offers facilities and continuing educational programs to help businesses prepare and keep their employees on the leading edge of skills and knowledge

Industrial Market
The Santa Clarita Valley industrial market continues to be one of the fastest expanding areas in Los Angeles County, even spilling over into international trade. The industrial base for the valley exceeds 20 million square feet. There has been a constant demand for more space. Continued demand for commercial space has generated more leasing, facility purchases and reduced commercial vacancy rates – as well as correspondingly higher lease rates. Limited opportunities in the nearby San Fernando Valley continue to drive thriving businesses to the Santa Clarita Valley.

The forecast for 2007-08 is positive, though tempered somewhat by the limited supply of space on the high end. The Santa Clarita Valley is expected to ride the same wave of high demand, low vacancy and inflation of sales and lease rates, according to California Economic Forecast. Dwindling availability of industrial space in the San Fernando Valley has helped fuel demand for buildings of all sizes. More large companies from the west San Fernando Valley have expanded into the Santa Clarita Valley than ever before.

Valencia Gateway
Developed by Valencia Co., a division of The Newhall Land & Farming Co., Valencia Gateway is the largest master-planned center for business, technology and industry in Los Angeles County. The 5,000-acre center encompasses 23 million square feet, 1,430 companies and 45,000 employees at its nine campuses, located primarily adjacent to Interstate 5 and Highway 126. At buildout, Valencia Gateway is expected to cover 54 million square feet and include 4,000 companies employing 120,000 people.

Valencia Industrial Center
The Valencia Industrial Center is an 1,117-acre campus-oriented, master-planned business park, ranking as the third-largest industrial center in Los Angeles County. It is conveniently located close to and northeast of Interstate 5.

Offering facilities for small and medium-size businesses, the center has more than 10 million square feet of commercial and industrial space. HR Textron, Santa Clarita Studios, Fanfare Media Works and Wesco Aircraft represent just a handful of the 706 businesses that call this center home.

About 17,400 employees within the industrial center enjoy numerous amenities, including a park setting, day-care center, banking, dining and shopping.

Two developments adjacent to the Valencia Industrial Center are the 60-acre Highridge Business Park and the Rye Canyon Business Park, a 377-acre former top-secret Lockheed research facility that now houses such entities as the Mann Biomedical Park and Advanced Bionics.

Valencia Commerce Center
The Valencia Commerce Center is a 1,600-acre campus-oriented, master-planned light industrial and business park; it is the largest center of its kind in Los Angeles County. Developments within the center include Valencia Commerceplex II, Valencia Corporate Point, The Crossroads, Gateway IV, and Gateway Research & Technology Park. It currently encompasses 6.1 million square feet, with millions more square footage under construction.

The commerce center houses light-industrial and commercial tenants, including Disney, Warner, a U.S. Postal Service regional distribution center, (755,000 square feet); ITT, (200,000 square feet); Remo (216,000 square feet); and UltraViolet Devices Inc. (93,000 square feet). At build-out the center is expected to cover more than 12 million square feet, with 850 companies and about 20,000 employees. Located west of Interstate 5 and north of Highway 126, the center is designed to keep 40 percent of the land for employees to enjoy. The center features bicycle and walking paths, mountain scenery, parks and equestrian trails.

Centre Pointe Business Park
This sprawling business park located roughly in the center of the valley features new developments by Spirit Properties, Fairway Commercial Partners, Clark Management & Development, and Bernard Bros. Most of these buildings are pre-sold, leaving just 100,000 square feet of available space in Centre Pointe to be absorbed before the next wave of new construction, according to the Real Estate & Economic Forecast. Wrage Inc. and Diamond Development plan to build another 300,000 square feet of buildings, most of which have been pre-sold.

Valencia Corporate Center
The Valencia Corporate Center, located on a hilltop overlooking Valencia Country Club, offers prestigious corporate offices and will ultimately contain multiple buildings with nearly a million square feet of space. The 68-acre project is located on Tourney Road between Valencia Boulevard and Magic Mountain Parkway, adjacent to Interstate 5. The corporate headquarters and research center of U.S. Borax Inc., which announced it will move to Colorado, and the regional medical and administrative offices of Kaiser Permanente are located here.

A recent addition to the center is Specialty Laboratories Inc., whose 200,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in 2004. The company is the largest single source of specialized laboratory testing for more than 10,000 hospitals, laboratories and physicians in the U.S. The new headquarters is expected to employ about 750 people.

Rockwell Canyon Business Park
If you’re wondering what happened to this proposed business park, the land was sold in late 2001 to the Packard Humanities Institute. Site preparation has begun on the future campus of the UCLA Film & Television Preservation Center and possibly other related organizations involved in the preservation and study of music, theatre, film, radio and television. The site sits along Interstate 5, between College of the Canyons and California Institute of the Arts.

Other Business Parks
Canyon Country Industrial Complex — This 40-acre location is zoned for small manufacturing companies.

Mint Canyon — Located on the east side of the Santa Clarita Valley, the 38-acre Mint Canyon Center is zoned for small industrial firms.

Valley Business Center — This 28-acre development is planned for commercial, retail and light industrial companies.

Springbrook Complex — Located in Saugus, the six-acre Springbrook Complex uses the large warehouse-style buildings that once comprised the Thatcher Glass Co. A number of light industrial companies are located here.

Transportation
Situated just 10 miles north of the San Fernando Valley and 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, the Santa Clarita Valley has become a pivotal hub for Southern California, with close proximity to freeways, airports and ports. Its location is of paramount importance to companies that rely on ground, air and sea transportation.

• 25 miles to Burbank Airport
• 40 miles to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Approximately 60 miles to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
• Easy access to eight major freeways and highways including I-5, 210, 118, 405, 101, 14, 170 and Highway 126
• Served by Metrolink and bus transit

Office Centers
The Santa Clarita Valley office market is in a strong development cycle, with increasing rents and several new projects either under construction or in the planning stage, according to California Economic Forecast. Demand is strong as more employers utilize the expanding labor base. Vacancies stood at 9.1 percent at the end of the third quarter of 2005.

• Tourney Place I: Two buildings, 43,000 square feet, adjacent to Valencia Corporate Center.
• Tourney Place II: Three buildings, 150,000 square feet.
• Gateway Corporate Point: Two 61,000-square-foot office buildings, along with a Courtyard by Marriott hotel, at Interstate 5 and State Route 126.
• Opus Corporate Center: At Interstate 5 and Valencia Boulevard, this 154,800 sq. ft. project consists of two three-story class-A office projects.
• Bank of America Building: 43,573 sq. ft. 4-story office building next to Westfield Valencia Town Center Regional Mall.
• Valencia Corporate Center: 64-acre prestigious Class-A office park with golf course views.
• Valencia Town Center I: 57,654 sq. ft. 3-story office building. Retail on ground floor.
• Valencia Town Center II: 84,000 sq. ft. 4-story office building. Princess Cruises occupies floors 2 through 4. Retail on ground floor.
• Valencia Town Center III: 127,203 sq. ft. 6-story office building. Princess Cruises occupies floors 2 through 6. Retail on ground floor.
• Valencia Town Center IV: 126,000 sq. ft. 5-story building. Princess Cruises will occupy floors 2 through 5. Retail on ground floor.

Retail Development

Shopping
Shopping in the Santa Clarita Valley takes many forms – from small corner centers to the spacious, enclosed Westfield Valencia Town Center regional mall. Stores selling most national brand names as well as locally produced goods can be found throughout the valley. Anchor stores such as Kmart, Wal-Mart, Target, Robinsons-May, JCPenny, Costco, Kohl’s, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Big 5 Sporting Goods, Levitz, Sears, Mervyn’s California, Old Navy and Ross can be found locally.

Westfield Valencia Town Center
Westfield Valencia Town Center is a fully enclosed two-story, 790,000-square-foot regional mall with three anchor department stores, 110 specialty shops, a food court and Edwards multiplex theater. The three anchor stores are JC Penney, Sears and Robinsons-May. Since its opening in September 1992, the center located on Town Center Drive has been a success with retailers and shoppers alike.

Some dramatic changes have been made to the entrance near the food court. The food court has been relocated into the space formerly occupied by the Edwards 10 Theatre; moviegoers still have the larger Regal-Edwards cinemas just a short stroll down Town Center Drive. Called the “Atrium Cafes,” the new food court offers seating for 600 people and new eateries such as Crepe House, Charley’s Grilled Subs, Stone Oven, Mongolian Grill and Surf City Squeeze. Favorites like Panda Express, Sbarro’s, Arby’s, Little Tokyo, Hot Dog on a Stick and Cinnabon return, as well. A new retail area is being built in an extended second floor above the original food court.

Other recent additions to the center are Ben Bridge Jewelers, Charlotte Russe, Guess, No Fear, Pink Ice, Select Comfort and upscale women’s clothier J. Jill.

Town Center Drive
Town Center Drive breaks the traditional mold of shopping centers in terms of land use, design and planning. Not only Valencia’s own main street, Town Center Drive is designed to be a community hub and downtown area for the entire Santa Clarita Valley, with a broad mix of uses: offices, restaurants, hotels, entertainment, shopping and housing. Bustling with excitement, it offers a half-mile pedestrian environment reminiscent of State Street in Santa Barbara.

People can have a cup of coffee or lunch with a friend, shop in street-facing stores or see a movie. Adjacent to the Westfield Valencia Town Center mall, the boulevard features unique and designer name stores such as Ann Taylor and Chicos, as well as restaurants like BJ’s Restaurant and Salt Creek Grill.

Recent additions to Town Center Drive include Glen Ivy Spa, Pottery Barn, Buca di Beppo, a fun family-style Italian restaurant, as well as Souplantation and Nestle Toll House Café. Watch for the opening of a planned comedy club.

Valencia Marketplace
A combination retail and community shopping center, Valencia Marketplace offers more than 720,000 square feet of retail space. It is located on The Old Road, alongside Interstate 5 and on the border of Stevenson Ranch. Retailers include Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Sport Chalet, Circuit City, Staples, Old Navy and A Royal Suite Bedrooms. There’s also plenty of dining opportunities here; restaurants include Claim Jumper, Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Chili’s.

Lyons Avenue
Lyons Avenue is one of the valley’s oldest retail shopping areas, with multiple centers, as well as unique shops and boutiques.

Canyon Center
The Canyon Center on Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country offers more than 40 merchants, from specialty boutiques to a food court for a complete one-stop shopping experience. Located here are TJ Maxx and Radio Shack.

Saugus Swap Meet
Another “shop-till-you-drop” opportunity is available at the Saugus Open-Air Market (formerly known as the Saugus Swap Meet) at the Saugus Speedway every Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 22500 Soledad Canyon Road, next to the Metrolink Station. More than 700 vendors come together in this open-air market to display their products and services to more than 20,000 customers. The Saugus Speedway was originally built as a rodeo stadium in 1924. The first automobile race was held there in 1947. Call 259-3886 for information.

New Retail Development
It’s not possible to list every shopping center in the Santa Clarita Valley, but the variety of retail choices continues to grow.

On the horizon is a major commercial center in the Golden Valley Ranch project, a 498-home development east of the Antelope Valley Freeway. Plans for the 618,000-square-foot center include a Kohl’s department store, a Target Greatland store, a Lowe’s home-improvement store, two drive-through restaurants and an automated, self-serve carwash. It would be the first major retail center to serve the Santa Clarita Valley’s east side.

Also planned are several major retail centers in the area of Newhall Ranch Road and Rye Canyon Road, already home to The Home Depot. The developer of the popular Promenade shopping center in Valencia is building a 155,000-square-foot shopping and dining center called Gateway Village. Already open across Newhall Ranch Road is a new Wal-Mart.

Wisconsin-based Kohl’s opened one of its first department stores in California in the new Valencia Crossroads shopping center at the corner of Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway (across from Valencia Town Center) in March 2003. The shopping center also features such establishments as Pei Wei Asian Diner, a new concept from the people behind the popular PF Chang’s China Bistro, Island’s Fine Burgers & Drinks, The Corner Bakery, Wahoo’s Fish Taco and Whole Foods grocery store. A variety of retailers includes apparel, floral and jewelry stores, as well as a Wilshire home-theater store and a high-end specialty market.

Westridge Village, a neighborhood shopping center designed to serve the new Westridge development on the west side of Interstate 5, opened in the summer of 2003. The center features an Albertson’s supermarket, Panda Express, Gourmet Pizza Cafe, Starbucks, Subway and other establishments.

Valencia Auto Center
The Valencia Auto Center on Creekside Road (between Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway) features more than two-dozen different auto retailers, recently adding a Hummer dealership to its inventory. The center is one of the largest in Southern California. Dealers include Infiniti, Toyota, Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Chevrolet, Geo, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC Trucks, Nissan, BMW, Saturn, Honda/Acura, Dodge, Isuzu, Chrysler, Plymouth, Jeep/Eagle and Mitsubishi. The center has become an important and successful regional retail hub for motor vehicles – so much so that plans are under way to expand northward, adjacent to the William S. Hart baseball complex.

Filming/Tourism
The Santa Clarita Valley is a frequently used location for filming, including feature films, television, commercials and music videos. Film permits continue to increase. Among the filming production companies in the area are Santa Clarita Studios with six sound stages and studio space of nearly 12,000 square feet, Landon Studios, Lindsey Studios and Emily Studios. Popular locations for filming include the Castaic Lake Recreation Area, Golden Oak Ranch, Polsa Rosa Ranch and Melody Ranch, which together offer a variety of settings from jungle to old western towns.

TV shows such as “Weeds,” “CSI” and “NCSI” are filmed here. Movie sets that take advantage of the natural terrain and environment are a common sight throughout the valley. Sharp TV viewers will notice that the opening scenes for Showtime’s “Weeds,” for example, have Stevenson Ranch sitting in for the fictional town of Agrestic.

Though not the largest industry in the valley, the film industry contributes millions of dollars to the local economy and some prestige. The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce is home to both the Santa Clarita Tourism Bureau and the Santa Clarita Film & Entertainment Bureau located in the chamber’s offices. For more information contact the Santa Clarita Film & Entertainment Bureau at 800/4FILMSC or 259-4787, Ext. 18. The bureau unites the film and entertainment industry with local businesses and residents to promote the valley as a prime location for filming. This is done through workshops, seminars and tours, and publications.

As a natural off-shoot of the western movie history of the area, tourism is also growing. Major destination draws include Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, and the Castaic Lake Recreation Center. In addition, a six-story, 244-room Hyatt Hotel and adjoining 26,000-square-foot Conference Center, conveniently located on Town Center Drive, attracts major conventions along with more visitors to the area.

Motion Picture Studios