A Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a bittersweet victory to the Centennial community at Tejon Ranch, which had been looking forward to launching construction on 19,333 residential units in Antelope Valley.
In his April 5 order, Judge Mitchell Beckloff requested clarification around the analysis and mitigation of greenhouse gasses (GHG) and external fire risks around the master-planned mixed-use project that will set aside 18% of units for affordable housing.
“We would have preferred a complete victory but we believe that Judge Beckloff has demonstrated in his ruling what we need to do to get where we want to go, which is full approval to be able to move or to build Centennial,” said Barry Zoeller, senior vice president of corporate communications and investor relations with Tejon Ranch. “California needs the housing desperately.”
In May 2019, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and the California Native Plant Society filed a petition for writ of mandamus against Los Angeles County, challenging its approval of the Antelope Valley residence.
“The Center for Biological Diversity has filed now 13 legal challenges against Tejon Ranch and its interest is all in an effort to stop real estate development,” Zoeller told the Southern California Record. “The underpinning philosophy of the organization is to reduce the human population, not population growth, but to reduce human population because they think there are too many people.”
CBD did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Although Judge Beckloff denied 20 of the 23 claims raised by the plaintiffs under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), he also found the Environmental Impact Report (EIR)’s discussion of GHG emissions and mitigation to be flawed, according to a press release.
“The County improperly adopted a statement of overriding considerations, and the EIR's conclusion wildfire risk impacts outside of the Project site will be reduced to less than significant is not supported by any analysis,” Beckloff wrote in his decision. “Accordingly, the Project's entitlements are set aside.”
Zoeller said he was unsure how much more money would be required to complete the requested evaluations but admitted the cost would be significant and would result in more expensive homes.
“The judge ruled that the plan was fine to protect Centennial and its residents,” Zoeller said in an interview. “What he said was that how that plan would work then to minimize the risk of wildfire outside of Centennial needed further explanation. We have to analyze what the fixes will be, what impact it will have in terms of reducing the emissions, and then what the cost is going to be.”
In its petition for a writ of Mandamus, CBD alleges the addition of tens of thousands of long-distance commuters onto Los Angeles County’s already crowded freeways would increase air pollution that could potentially cause asthma, lung cancer, and birth defects.
“The Project claims to incorporate green development standards and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but these measures are vague, speculative, or deferred to future plans,” wrote Michelle Black, the plaintiff’s attorney. “Many of the Project's impacts on the biological resources and conserved lands remain significant and unmitigated.”