ALTADENA : Court Ruling Revives Environmental Suit

The state Court of Appeal revived an environmental lawsuit that seeks to stop a massive housing development in the foothills of Altadena.

The three-judge panel on July 14 overturned a Superior Court judge’s decision that had dismissed the lawsuit.

The suit by the Friends of La Vina, an Altadena-based group, against the county and developers Southwest Diversified and Cantwell Anderson challenges the adequacy of an environmental impact report and the specific plan for the 272-home project on 210 acres.

“We’re going back to Superior Court and finally this case will be heard on its merits, but there should never have been a year’s delay,” said Adolfo Miralles, chairman of the group that takes it name from the area where the homes are planned.

The group’s members say the environmental study does an inadequate job of addressing fire safety issues, flooding, destruction of wildlife habitat and traffic escalation. The small village of homes approved by county supervisors in 1992 would be situated at the end of Lincoln Avenue on the edge of the Angeles National Forest.