2 Supervisors Want County to Assess Newhall Ranch Impact

Concerned about the environmental impact of the massive project, two Ventura County supervisors are proposing to spend up to $80,000 for a thorough assessment of the Newhall Ranch housing development planned in neighboring Los Angeles County.

Supervisors Maggie Kildee and John Flynn are also requesting that the developer of the project extend the public review period on the environmental impact report to Feb. 5 to give them time to gather more information.

The current deadline is Dec. 5.

The two on Tuesday will ask their colleagues on the Board of Supervisors for $80,000 to be set aside for a full-time planner and an attorney to review the development’s potential impact on the county.

The Newhall Land & Farming Co. wants to transform a 19-square-mile tract of ranchland into a community of 70,000 residents. It would include nearly 25,000 homes, 10 schools, several shopping centers, a business park and a golf course.

“We believe staff should be directed to make every effort necessary to hold Los Angeles County accountable for its land-use decisions at the Newhall Ranch, up to and including actively opposing the project if necessary,” Kildee and Flynn wrote in a letter to the board.

Marlee Lauffer, spokeswoman for Newhall Land, said the public review period for the project’s environmental report had already been stretched from 45 days to 120 days.

She did not think it would be extended further.

“We think there’s been ample time for people to review the report,” she said.

Lauffer said that Los Angeles County Planning Commission members and their staff will make a formal presentation on the project to Ventura County officials Oct. 24.