Lancaster May Drop Plans for Joshua Preserve

The Lancaster City Council appears to be backing off plans to use a 22 1/2-acre parcel of land on Avenue K as a Joshua tree preserve, the principal reason the council gave for buying the tract in 1991.

While no formal announcement has been made, the city’s Redevelopment Agency voted to allocate $1.27 million to acquire the tract from the city. The agency is negotiating with a developer interested in buying part of the tract.

The city originally purchased the vacant land in December, 1991, to create a Joshua tree preserve, a tract protected from development as a Prime Desert Woodlands site. The city bought the land, without having it appraised, for $1.1 million from Joseph Rivani, a land investor. Rivani, who was delinquent on his property taxes at the time, had paid about $760,500 for the land three years earlier.

The U-shaped parcel lies in an open field of Joshua trees on the south side of Avenue K between 45th and 50th streets West. A 60-acre Kaufman & Broad housing project is next to the tract.

Steve Dukett, Lancaster’s redevelopment director, said that developer Frank Niesner has been talking with the city about the possibility of buying some of the land.

Niesner “had proposed some development that required access to Avenue K through the city property,” Dukett said. Niesner owns 20 undeveloped acres directly east of the city parcel.

Niesner, a partner in Merli Niesner Investment Group of Panorama City, bought the land five years ago.

“We could buy a section of the city property, or go into a joint venture with the city,” Niesner said.

Meanwhile, a Lancaster resident has organized a campaign to challenge the City Council’s action.

Laurie L. McBeath has handed out flyers, collected at least 60 signatures on a petition and plans to meet with Councilman Frank Roberts in an attempt to protect the desert woodland area.

“I’m not advocating a big, fancy preserve,” said McBeath, who lives a block away from the property. “The Joshua tree is very exclusive to this area. We need to make the city know that this is very important to us,” she said.

When the council agreed to buy the site in 1991, city officials stressed the importance of having the Joshua tree preserve. But to be considered a Prime Desert Woodlands site, an area must contain Joshua trees, juniper trees, sand dunes and other native plant and animal life. The Avenue K site lacks sand dunes and a diversity of plants other than Joshua trees.

Meanwhile, McBeath plans to get the community involved. “We have to keep everybody informed of what is going on,” she said. “Everyone is going to have to lend a helping hand. That is the only way the city is going to listen. It all comes down to people who want to save nature, and people who want development.”