If the economy continues to rebound and recover, Fillmore can expect to see a reasonable amount of growth and development. The market dictates what comes and what goes, but today positive things are moving in Fillmore's direction.

Fillmore is seeing a real surge in building, both commercial and residential. Many of the projects have been in the works for years, while some were put on hold due to the economic problems experienced in 2008, and others changed direction due to public concern.

In 2007 Fillmore residents rallied together to change the debated high housing density originally proposed at the North Fillmore Specific Plan. This resulted in a ballot measure that allowed the people to vote on the controversial Plan. Another project that garnered a great deal of public attention was the Chevron (Fillmore Works) Specific Plan. Concerns have been addressed in some cases, while others are still ongoing.

North Fillmore
North Fillmore Specific Plan (NFSP) is a 101 acre project originally slated for 700 residential units, but such a high density neighborhood did not sit well with many of Fillmore's residents. This resulted in Measure I, which was voted and approved in 2008 ballot, which required the density be reduced by half. Part of NFSP project acreages (30 acres) belongs to Suncal, who have since changed the name to NLA Community.

NLA Community is moving forward with development and preparing to grade their 30 acres of the original 101 acreage. Those 30 acres will have all the required infrastructure to build the 146 homes including utilities. Every lot is both street and alley adjacent and vary in size from the low 3,000 sq. ft. to over 7,000 sq. ft. The developer plans to sell the improved land to someone who will then construct the actual 146 houses. It will take NLA Community one year to grade the land due to the large amounts of boulders present in the area. The area discussed is located north of 7th St., West of Goodenough Rd. southeast of Sespe Creek, with B St. running through it.

The density of the remaining NFSP's 71 acres has also been reduced, due to the passing of Measure I, to 355 homes with no multi-dwellings lots available. This averages five housing units per acre, down from about 10 units per acre. Today there are no immediate plans in the works to develop the remaining 71 acres.

Edgewood Neighborhood
Santa Clarita based William Homes is in the final stages of building a new neighborhood in Fillmore. The "Edgewood," located south of River St. between Central Ave. and Mountain View, contains 45 energy efficient homes built with green technology. The three housing styles: Farmhouse, Mission, Bungalow are single story (13) and two story (22) with 4 to 5 bedrooms and 2.5 to 3 bathrooms with square footage ranging from 2,314 to 2,734 square feet. The lots are a good size at close to 10,000 sq. ft. with room for RV parking.

Built in four phases, the first three phases have already been completed with families already moved in. The final phase is expected to be completed by August. Phase I, II, III are almost sold out with only three of those homes remaining unsold. They are averaging one home sale a week. Phase IV is to start very soon and contains 12 homes. Prices to date are $458,000 to $504,900. The 12 homes soon to be constructed in Phase IV may not be vacant for very long.

Commercial Family Dollar
Family Dollar is a new 8,320 sq. ft building located on the north side of Highway 126 between A St. and B Street. It is described as a small department store said to be like a small Walmart or KMart and is expected to be completed in April 2015. The one entry is off of Highway 126 with 34 paring stalls. Half the property has been developed with the other half remaining vacant until needed.

The Stop At Fillmore
"The Stop" located at C Street and Highway 126, across the street from St. Francis of Assisi Church. The project is a 23,000 sq. ft. building housing Dollar General as the anchor store and includes O'Rielly's Auto Parts. Dollar General also is a small department store with housewares and other goods similar to a Walmart or KMart.

This business park has 126 parking stalls, 6 accessible and three access/entry points, two off the highway and one off C Street. Sitting on 2.5 acres the building stands at just over 30 ft at its highest point and is fronted with a rock veneer finish. It is expected to be completed in May. Two additional buildings have been approved on the site, but do not have tenants yet.

Future Projects
KB Homes Project
A project that began over 15 years is the KB Homes Development located southwest of River St. and Central Avenue. Approved by the City Council back in 2001 progress on the project was slow and stopped in 2008. The proposed project, which sits on five acres, was slated for 96 condos and 10 duplexes and all were designed to be three stories. The permits on the project have long since expired and Fillmore's code, which does not allow for three story buildings except on Central Avenue, will require the developer to apply for a zone text amendment. To get approval everything must first be submitted to Fillmore staff, then the Planning Commission and lastly to City Council.

Bridges Phase 1B
This project has plans for 166 new homes to be built in the Bridges Neighborhood and is called Bridges Phase 1B. It is located north east of the new Rio Vista Elementary School. Of the 166 future home development, 72 single family units are being reviewed for plan check with the remaining 94 to be submitted in the future for review by the Planning Commission and approved by the City Council.

In June 2015 the developer will start with the first nine of 72 homes. The market will dictate how quickly the homes will be built. If the market indicates the need for housing, the 72 homes will be in eight phases, and average four phases per year.

Chevron Project
The Chevron (Fillmore Works) Specific Plan has completed a 3-year study on environmental impact and is ready for workshops to gather suggestions and input. The next workshop will be held Monday, March 23, 2015 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Fillmore Senior Center, 533 Santa Clara St. Fillmore.

The 75 acres commercial/industrial land owned by Chevron has been in the cleaning process for over 20 years. Some suggestions for future use is a solar farm.

Fillmore has seen a number of other improvements including. They include a completed design on the intersection signal at 126 Highway and Mountain View, levy along Santa Clara River completed along with a levy debris basin, and a new pump track/bike park. Also major upgrades are scheduled for the City's Financial Management System by adding Springbrook, new dedicated fiber optic line for City Hall and IT equipment replacement that includes new core switch, firewall, router, data backup system and web filtering. The Saticoy lemon site on the south/east corner of A St. and Sespe Street is being brought up to code as a working Avocado packing house which is expected to employing 30 people and become operational this summer.

There is also a proposed County Fire Station that has bought the land south of the new "Stop" and the City is moving forward to repair the fountains at the entry to the Bridges Neighborhood. First, an engineering study is needed for the fountains. The City is expecting to repair the them about the same time as the intersection signal on Hwy 126 and Mountain View is installed.