Update / Follow-up on the news
The South Laguna Civic Assn. may soon receive $35,000 from the city to help offset legal costs incurred in the ongoing fight against the city of Laguna Niguel and the owner of the Binion property.
Las Vegas casino owner Jack Binion is proposing to build 22 homes on a hilltop in Laguna Niguel. That city’s council approved the plan in September, but the South Laguna homeowners group filed a lawsuit to block the development, saying it would violate coastal laws.
The City Council recently voted tentatively to commit $35,000 to the South Laguna group, contingent on the council receiving a report by its meeting next Tuesday detailing the association’s legal expenditures and specific information on how the city money will be spent.
The council decision came after civic association attorney Barbara Lichman of the Irvine-based firm Chevalier, Allen, Lichman told the council that the group has prevailed on several issues in court, including a decision that the proposed Binion development would not conform to the local coastal environmental and view ordinances.
The court also recently awarded the group $50,000 in attorney fees. Under the agreement with the city, the association will reimburse the city for the cash advance.
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