Shaping Our Community’s Future Through Santa Clarita 2025

By City Manager Ken Striplin

"Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground" - Theodore Roosevelt

This quote by Theodore Roosevelt reflects the guiding principles behind the Santa Clarita 2025 Strategic Plan. This mindset has driven our City's efforts to balance aspirations with practical steps, ensuring that the goals we set are not only ambitious but also achievable. Our approach involves setting a clear vision, exploring innovative solutions and anticipating the needs of our community, all while prioritizing what matters most to our residents.

Since its inception in 2020, the Santa Clarita 2025 Strategic Plan, also referred to as SC2025, has served as a crucial roadmap for the City, directing our resources and efforts towards achieving significant milestones. This plan has helped us maintain our commitment to providing top-tier services and facilities for the residents and visitors of Santa Clarita. By aligning our current projects with future initiatives, we have ensured the sustainability of our infrastructure and the continued excellence of our municipal services.

Among the significant accomplishments started in our SC2025 plan were the opening of the Canyon Country Community Center, the Vista Canyon Multi-Modal Center and the Sand Canyon Trail Bridges. Additionally, we've made significant progress in enhancing traffic circulation, supported the construction of Bridge to Home's permanent homeless shelter and finished the Central Park Buildout. Each of these projects has added critical new amenities and improved our residents' overall quality of life. Through these projects, we learn more about our community's needs and desires, and can adapt future plans accordingly. The Central Park Buildout revealed the popularity of exercise stairs and inspired a second set as part of the David March Park expansion. The Canyon Country Community Center has quickly become a popular place for afterschool programs and classes, underscoring the importance of the new Valencia Community Center.

Be on the lookout for upcoming SC2025 projects. These exciting projects include the construction of The Rink Sports Pavilion which will expand the George A. Caravalho Santa Clarita Sports Complex, turning it into a premier recreational hub for our community. The planned expansion of David March Park will add an impressive eight acres, featuring a state-of-the-art baseball field with spectator seating, a new restroom building and a parking lot. The existing park will also see upgrades, including a new basketball court, an exercise equipment area, a shade canopy and a picnic pavilion. Additionally, the Valencia Community Center's completion will provide a new venue for various classes and programs. It will also introduce the City's first indoor pool, allowing for year-round aquatic activities.

As we approach the final year of the SC2025, we look forward to the creation of our next Strategic Plan. Building on the successes of the past five years, this new plan will continue to guide our City's development, ensuring that Santa Clarita remains a place where residents can live, work and play. For more information regarding the Santa Clarita 2025 Strategic Plan, please visit SantaClarita.gov/SC2025.

Ken Striplin is the City Manager for the City of Santa Clarita and can be reached at [email protected].