Parkway Village task order OK’d

LANCASTER — The Lancaster City Council approved a task order at its Dec. 10 meeting for Aspen Environmental Group to prepare technical reports and an environmental impact report for the proposed “Parkway Village” master plan area.

The City Council voted 4-0-1 on the item. Mayor R. Rex Parris recused himself from the vote because he owns property in the vicinity of the project area. There were no public speakers.

The City will pay Aspen Environmental Group $246,716, plus a 10% contingency, for a total not to exceed $275,000.

Parkway Village is proposed for the 150-acre area East of Sgt. Steve Owen Memorial Park and North of Avenue L.

The site was once envisioned as a large commercial complex anchored by big box stores. But the Great Recession and ongoing changes in the retail landscape crushed those plans shortly after it was approved in 2007.

The proposed development is now a mixed-use urban area that includes high-quality, high-density housing, integrated dining and shopping opportunities, schools and gathering space.

“It’s going to be a whole new way of living that the Antelope Valley has never seen before,” Parris said when he gave the State of the City address in July.

The area will include the former Amarogosa Creek Specific Plan area, plus vacant land to the East and North.

According to the task order, Aspen Environmental Group will prepare the technical reports and the environmental impact report.

The project manager will attend a scoping meeting facilitated by city staff to take notes and participate in public hearings before the Planning Commission and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.