SANTA CLARITA / ANTELOPE VALLEY : Expansion of North Hills Project Sought : Development: The proposal asks that 715 more homes be allowed. A Santa Clarita hillside ordinance could block the plan.

SANTA CLARITA —  The city Planning Commission will hold a public hearing tonight on a plan to increase the size of the proposed North Hills community by more than 700 homes.

The Newhall Land and Farming Co. asked that it be allowed to increase the number of residences in its North Hills community from 1,020 to 1,735, triggering a second environmental impact report for the project and the public hearing at 7 p.m. in City Hall.

However, the city’s Ridgeline Preservation and Hillside Development Ordinance, adopted on March 24, 1992, would limit construction on the 185.7-acre site to a maximum of 1,277 homes.

The proposed development would be north of Valencia Boulevard between McBean Parkway and Tourney Road.

Newhall Land and Farming Co. proposed North Hills before the ordinance was adopted, and planning commissioners must now determine if it can be revised.

The project, which includes an array of homes, now has a greater focus on houses on smaller lots for entry-level buyers, single residents, young professionals or families whose children no longer live at home.

“North Hills reflects the changes in the marketplace,” said Marlee Lauffer, spokeswoman for Newhall Land, explaining the 70% boost in homes suggested for the development.

North Hills was submitted to the city before the hillside ordinance, but critics say the latest version should not be permitted. Aside from the greater number of residences, the project is essentially the same, with roads and grading work unchanged.

The Planning Commission decision could set a precedent for other projects that were started before the hillside ordinance was passed but return for future consideration.

The largest development proposal in Santa Clarita’s six-year history, Porta Bella, was submitted before the hillside ordinance was adopted and its environmental documents are now up for public comment. The 3,238-home development is proposed on a 996-acre site south of Soledad Canyon and east of San Fernando roads.