About 100 people attended a hearing in Newhall Monday night for The Walt Disney Co.’s Golden Oak Ranch project in the Santa Clarita Valley, voicing both concern and support for the mega-development, according to county planning staff. Disney and about 20 others testified about a draft environmental impact report for the Disney ABC Studios at the Ranch project, said Principal Planner Kim Szalay of the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning. Most were in favor of the proposed project, however some concerns were raised over traffic and the removal of oaks trees, Szalay said. Public comments coupled with responses will be added to the final version of the environmental impact report, he said. Disney has used the 890-acre Golden Oak Ranch property for television and feature film production since the late 1950s. The Disney ABC Studios at the Ranch project represents a multi-million investment in the last of the studio-owned movie ranches and a commitment by Disney that Southern California remains vital to television production. The project includes 12 soundstages, production and administration offices, and commissary and talent bungalows. Disney expects the project to create more than 3,000 jobs and pump tens of millions of dollars into the state and local economy each year. If approved, construction can begin at the end of the year. The public can comment on the draft environmental impact report until June 18, Szalay said. Copies of the report are available for public viewing online and at the Castaic Library, the Newhall Library, the Valencia Library, the Canyon Country Jo Anne Darcy Library, and the downtown Los Angeles office of the L.A. County Department of Regional Planning. Andrew Khouri
