The City of Palmdale held a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony today for the connecting road that links Avenue S to Elizabeth Lake Road.
The $13 million project took about 8 months to construct after years of negotiation. It involved improving approximately 3 miles of roadway, installing a regional drainage structure for Anaverde Creek and some underground utility work.
The project was completed without using general fund money. The funds for the City’s portion ($5 million) came from an underlying surety bond company, while the funds from the Lehman portion ($8 million) came from a Community Fund Development (CFD) that was formed years ago.
“What makes this really special is that it is a testament to what can happen when people come together and look at the big picture,” said Public Works Director Mike Mischel.
Mischel credited Lehman Brothers, Farallon Capital, Toro Enterprises, Brook Street, H&H, Rockne Construction and the Los Angeles County Fire Department as among the key partners who helped make it a reality.
“The most important thing to me is that this is a project that makes our community safer,” said Councilmember Fred Thompson. There is now much greater access for emergency response vehicles and personnel for our residents of Anaverde with this a second means of access in and out of the area.”
“Now that this road is completed, it opens the door for economic growth in our housing sector,” said Councilmember Roxana Martinez. “Both the second phase of Anaverde, and the first phase of Ritter Ranch are one step closer to being realized.”
Two of Southern California’s premier home builders are now active in the Anaverde development—KB Homes who are currently selling homes, and Richmond America who are currently processing building plans.
“In Palmdale, new homes are being built using the most up to date efficiencies in energy conservation and water usage,” Martinez said.
KB Homes President of Southern California Urban Operations Tom DiPrima echoed Martinez’ thoughts on water conservation, noting that homes built today “use 40 to 60 percent less water” than homes built a decade ago.
For more information on the project, please call the Public Works Department at 661/267-5300.