Torrance : Madrona Marsh Lawsuit

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Jan. 7 will hear a suit filed by the city seeking immediate possession of the Madrona Marsh wetlands and $3.5 million in damages from the developers of the Park Del Amo project.

Assistant City Atty. William Quale said that if possession of the land is not granted, the city will seek an injunction to prohibit the developers from selling the property or doing anything to harm the marsh, which is next to the massive Park Del Amo residential and office space project. The marsh is one of the few remaining stopping grounds in the South Bay for migratory birds and other wildlife.

Torrance Investment Co., the project developer, agreed in 1983 to dedicate 34.4 acres of the marsh to the city and to sell it an additional 8.5 acres. In exchange, the city approved 1,482 residential units and 850,000 square feet of office space on the remainder of the 182-acre parcel along Sepulveda Boulevard between Madrona Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard.

The City Council had been threatening for months to file a suit after a year of negotiations between the city and developers stalled over language in the deed. The developers want the right to buy back the property if the marsh ever dries up, while the city opposes such a plan.