Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Palmdale Approves First Phase of Ritter Ranch Development : Housing: The city OKs 713 houses after getting developer’s assurances that Native American artifacts will be protected.

The Palmdale City Council has cleared the way for construction of the first phase of houses in the massive Ritter Ranch community after receiving last-minute assurances from the developer that Native American artifacts will be protected and neighborhood designs will be improved.

After a lengthy debate, a majority of the council overruled two members who wanted the project sent back to the city’s Planning Commission for more review. The west Palmdale development was approved in a 4-1 vote after Peter Wenner, general manager of Ritter Ranch, promised to meet with Native American representatives on the artifacts issue.

Two Native Americans told the council that they want to inspect what they believe are “sacred sites” on the land. Archeological surveys conducted on the land indicated it may have been the site of a Native American settlement.

“It is time for the Ritter Ranch development group to act civilly to its landlords,” said a woman who identified herself as D. Garcia and a Shoshone Native American. She believes the Ritter Ranch property was inhabited by her ancestors. “Ritter Ranch forgets whose land this was originally.”

In addition to inspection rights, Garcia sought assurances that the developer would abide by state laws that call for the preservation of any artifacts that are unearthed on the land.

This was the first time Native Americans have come forward to express concern about the development, despite years of exhaustive environmental reviews, city officials said

Wenner said he would cooperate with the Native Americans after they provide a written request and verification that they are qualified representatives of their tribes.

The council was also worried that the first Ritter Ranch neighborhood would resemble an unsightly sea of three-car garages. Their concerns stemmed from the relatively small lot sizes, which Wenner said were needed to reduce the housing prices. He said many of the houses will offer three-car garages because Palmdale homebuyers prefer this amenity.

Several council members said large garage doors will dominate the front of the small houses and could result in an ugly streetscape. “I would dislike very much going down a corridor, a canyon of garage doors,” Councilman Joe Davies said.

Wenner said the developers would enhance the appearance of the neighborhood by using curved streets and by varying the designs of houses and the distance they are set back from the street.

“This is the first phase of our development,” Wenner told the council. “The last thing we want to do is make a mistake.”

The first phase will consist of 713 single-family detached houses, plus five recreation areas. It will be situated south of Elizabeth Lake Road, near the future site of 40th Street West. Over the next 15 years, the developers plan to build about 7,200 residences on the sprawling 10,625-acre ranch.

To proceed with the first phase, the developers needed a conditional use permit because they wanted to put single-family detached houses on lots measuring 5,000 and 6,000 square feet.

Palmdale normally requires at least 7,000-square-foot lots for single-family detached houses.

The conditional use permit was the last major hurdle prior to construction. The developer still must file tentative tract maps and undergo final reviews of the grading and street design plans, but these are not expected to delay the project. A groundbreaking date has not been announced.