Site Found for Farmers’ Market in Santa Clarita : Commerce: The agreement to use a College of the Canyons parking lot ends a 7-month search. July 18 is the opening date.

SANTA CLARITA —  It’s going to cost $700 a month more than organizers wanted, but a site has been found for an outdoor market in Santa Clarita.

The farmers’ market will be held weekly on a College of the Canyons parking lot beginning July 18. The selection of the parking lot site bordered by Valencia Boulevard and West Road ends a seven-month search by the Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Assn., which is sponsoring the project.

Market organizers had wanted to locate the open-air market, which will feature growers selling fresh fruits and vegetables from portable stalls, at the City Hall parking lot. The city offered the site free of charge, but Newhall Land & Farming Co., which once owned the land and still retains jurisdictional control, said operating an outdoor market there would violate local land-use regulations.

Regulations apply to residential and commercial areas to ensure consistent development and presumably to maintain property values. Ignoring them would set a dangerous precedent and make other restrictions difficult to enforce, Newhall Land Chief Executive Officer Thomas Lee told the City Council.

Although Santa Clarita’s city attorney ruled that land-use regulations could allow operation of the market, the city did not force the issue, and Newhall Land agreed to help the association search for a suitable site.

“We think it’s great that we’ve resolved all the issues and that we can have a farmers’ market in the Santa Clarita Valley,” said Marlee Lauffer, Newhall Land spokeswoman.

Market organizers initially passed on the College of the Canyons lot in Valencia because of the roughly $30-per-hour rental cost, although it met their other criteria for ample parking and visibility, according to Santa Clarita Parks and Recreation Director Rick Putnam.

“The College of the Canyons was always a first choice. They wanted to find the most cost-effective site. Although this isn’t the most cost-effective for them, it is the best site,” Putnam said.

The rental fee charged by the college amounts to about $700 per month, which covers the cost of staff members to open up the facilities for the event, Putnam said.

The market is expected to feature 45 growers from Los Angeles County, Ventura County, San Diego County, San Luis Obispo and Fresno.

Santa Clarita has received more than 500 calls and letters supporting a farmers’ market, said Public Information Officer Gail Foy.