Disney gets greenlight for major TV, film studio near Santa Clarita

By Todd Cunningham

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has given Disney the green light to build a massive TV and film production facility near Santa Clarita.

The 58-acre facility will be constructed on the sprawling Golden Oak Ranch, which has served for decades as the backdrop for Disney films including "Old Yeller" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," and TV shows including "The Mickey Mouse Club" and "Little House on the Prairie."

The proposal, which includes several sound stages as well as 500,000 square-feet of studio space and writers' quarters and other facilities, was approved Tuesday by a 4-0 vote. There's no start date for construction at the site, located in an unincorporated area of northeast L.A. about 35 miles from downtown. The target for completion is 2016.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich was a primary backer of the plan, which he says will create thousands of jobs and more than $530 million in annual economic gains and new revenue for the state.

"Many of the film production companies are now going out of state," he said prior to the vote. "This is an opportunity to increase film production in Los Angeles County."

With so much TV and film production activity exiting California for New York, Louisiana and other states recently, sound stage construction has slowed considerably in the state.

Still, ABC Studios is producing more programming than Disney's Burbank studio can accommodate and has been renting sound stages at various locations, so this will be a boon.

Opponents to the development had voiced concerns over the impact on air and water quality and wildlife.