SANTA CLARITA : City Must Rewrite Part of General Plan

A Los Angeles Superior Court ruling requires Santa Clarita to rewrite a section of its General Plan, but allows the city to make land-use decisions in the interim, a city attorney said Thursday.

The ruling, issued by Judge Pro Tem Emilie H. Elias, is “a victory for the city” because it rejected a developer’s bid to overturn Santa Clarita’s entire General Plan--its blueprint for future development--and did not order the city to pay the developer’s attorney’s fees, according to Terry P. Kaufman, who represented the city.

But the city must revise the housing element, one of 13 sections in the plan, because Elias ruled that it failed to adequately list the amount of land suitable for residential development, including lower-cost housing. City spokeswoman Gail Foy said the city intends to revise the housing element within four months.

Dale Poe Development Corp., which is building the huge Stevenson Ranch housing tract, had sued the city, claiming the General Plan was adopted June 25 in violation of several technical requirements.

Jeff Stevenson, vice president of Dale Poe, said the company is considering appealing Elias’ decision. Stevenson called Elias’ ruling a partial victory because the judge found fault with the housing element.