LAGUNA NIGUEL : Ruling Delayed on Moratorium
A Superior Court judge said Thursday that he needs more time before considering a motion by a developer to toss out a building moratorium imposed by the City Council last July.
The building freeze was enacted after city officials learned that the Orange County district attorney was investigating a land transaction involving 96 acres that had once been set aside for a future park. The council said a moratorium was needed to prevent the rest of the property from being developed.
As it is, the land holds more than 100 homes built by Taylor Woodrow Homes California Ltd., a prominent developer. Another 65 or so are planned for the property, but their construction has been halted by the freeze. Taylor Woodrow contends that the freeze has cost it financially and damaged its reputation.
The company has sued the city and is asking Judge Floyd H. Schenk to throw out the moratorium, which the firm says was improperly imposed.
Although Schenk ruled in a hearing in Westminster on a few legal issues surrounding the case, he said the paper work on the moratorium question was not complete, and he rescheduled the hearing on that matter for July 25.
“We’ll come back in two weeks, and we’ll go to it on the bigger question then,” Schenk said.
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