[KHTS] – The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday on the California Fish and Wildlife Department River permits for Newhall Land’s Newhall Ranch project.
Newhall Ranch is a 19-square-mile development project being pursued by Newhall Land that would add approximately 21,000 homes west of Interstate 5.
The court session lasted for more than an hour and the justices asked many questions, said John Buse, the senior counsel and legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs.
“The court had some excellent questions about all sides,” said Buse. “It’s tough to say where (this case) might be going, but we’re pretty happy they’re taking a closer look.”
The decision will be made in 90 days, or three months, according to Buse.
“We do not quote on pending litigation,” Newhall Land spokeswoman Marlee Laffer told KHTS AM-1220.
The Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment’s concerns about validating this project is water use, loss of floodplains and groundwater recharge areas and greenhouse gases.
Newhall Land and Farming Co. claims that there will be no significant increase in greenhouse gases for the 21,000 unit project, according to SCOPE officials.
“The greenhouse gas issue is especially important as it may set a precedent for other cases in California,” said SCOPE officials.
Another concern of the SCOPE is that the habitat for many endangered species in the area would be destroyed, like the Unarmored Threespine Stickleback fish.
In March 2014, a California Appellate Court ruled in favor of the Newhall Land and Farming and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in a lawsuit regarding environmental reports for a 20,000 unit development project in the Santa Clarita Valley.
The ruling unanimously reversed Judge Ann Jones’ 2012 judgment in favor of the plaintiffs – including the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity and Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment – and allowed the Santa Clara River Alteration Permit for the project to proceed.
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8 Comments
West of…..
Don’t we already have a water shortage and too many people here
It’s all about money more more MORE
We are rationing water and they want to build 21,000 more homes. Makes total and complete sense to me, said no one ever.
I have always hated the idea of losing the beautiful rolling hills on 126. Such a pretty drive to the beach.
Also the disruption to wildlife in the area would be heartbreaking.
Do we really need all those cars! What a nightmare.
We need to be building desalination plants, not more houses! SoCal is already overcrowded and drying up.
Why would anyone want to live across the street from one the nation’s soon to be busiest dumps?
Adding 21,000 homes will add around 60,000 people (at a conservative estimate of 3 people per household), which is about 1/3 of Santa Clarita’s current population. This is going to be a very hi-density project and, according to the map, traffic will be spilling out on only the north side. While the map’s detail doesn’t allow an accurate count, I see five exits from the entire area, all to or near the 126. Imagine giving 1/3 of Santa Clarita’s current population these few alternatives. There is one of just a huge number of negative situations that come with this project. Hopefully, for the sake of their inhabitants, they won’t allow housing units adjacent to the 126 and any other hi-traffic road like they’ve done along the 14 Fwy between Via Princessa and Sand Canyon. Nobody should have to live with that. Having had a 27-year career as a real estate appraiser, I’m very saddened by the future that this project will deal us.