Environmentalists Gamble on Westridge Appeal

In an all-or-nothing gamble, environmentalists who two months ago won a half-victory in a lawsuit halting the 1,880-home Westridge development on Wednesday appealed the ruling in an attempt to win the other half.

The appeal goes to the heart of Los Angeles County’s administration of its network of 61 Significant Ecological Areas, a system that environmentalists feel the county has allowed to be plundered by developers.

The Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment (SCOPE) filed a notice of appeal with the Los Angeles Superior Court to challenge what they said was Los Angeles County’s disregard for laws preserving ecologically sensitive areas.

In September, Judge Robert O’Brien ruled that the county and the developer, the Newhall Land and Farming Co., had failed to adequately discuss or analyze the effects on air quality of the 799-acre project. Further, the county gave “only lip service” to its own requirements that schools and libraries be adequate to serve the development.

The decision invalidated all the permits for the Valencia project and sent it back to Newhall Land and the county for reconsideration.

But the ruling did, however, say that the county had faithfully followed its policy with regard to protecting Significant Ecological Areas (SEAs), a decision with which environmentalists disagreed and are now trying to reverse.

“We are really concerned that we are going to lose all the SEAs in Los Angeles County if we didn’t appeal,” said Lynne Plambeck, a member of SCOPE, which filed the original lawsuit to protect a county-designated SEA primarily known for its valley oak trees and savannah grasses.

The Westridge project, which includes an 18-hole championship golf course and an array of houses ranging from townhomes and condominiums, would include the entire 310 acres of the SEA.

The move to appeal is a gamble that allows Newhall Land to file cross-appeals of their own, challenging the parts of the decision that were unfavorable to the developer.

“Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em,” said Allan Cameron, a member of SCOPE.

Newhall Land spokeswoman Marlee Lauffer on Wednesday morning had said the company had chosen not to appeal and was prepared to spend a year reworking the Westridge project.

“It’s a whole new ballgame now,” Lauffer said after hearing of the appeal late Wednesday. “We did not initiate it, but now we have to respond.”