Profiled 2024 

The City of Santa Clarita, population 221,345 (2022), is located in northern Los Angeles County roughly 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. In 2013, the city adopted TDR provisions aimed at implementing a wide range of planning goals including resource protection, open space acquisition, and increased density/intensity in areas where public transportation and other infrastructure is readily available.

Sending areas can be located within the City or unincorporated Los Angeles County that is designated open space, open space – National Forest, open space – Bureau of Land Management, or any non-urban designated land within a significant ecological area (SEA) on the City’s General Plan Land Use Map. Sending areas may also include agricultural resources as well as other sites approved by the City.

Receiving sites must be located within the City and designated as mixed use, community commercial, or regional commercial land on the City’s General Plan Land Use Map. Other receiving sites include areas considered transit oriented development, underused infill sites, or other sites acceptable to the City. 

Proposed transfers are approved via Conditional Use Permit (CUP). In addition to the standard findings needed for CUP approval, the following findings must also be made: 1) The sending site contains unique natural or cultural features, allows for higher-level management, the preservation of agricultural land, or allows the acquisition of open space; and 2) The receiving site shall be located with access to, or in close proximity of, public transportation, schools, commercial services and all other necessary infrastructure. 

In addition to standard conditions required of CUPs, TDR CUPs require the following condition: The development rights of the sending site shall be transferred to the City either through dedication of the site, a public use and access easement or other method acceptable to the City Council to ensure that the site remains open space. On agricultural sending sites, the easement must allow the continuation of agricultural activities.