Ventura County Board Vows to Fight Massive Newhall Project

Charging that the massive 25,000-home Newhall Ranch development could spill over the county line, Ventura County supervisors said Tuesday that they have grounds to file a lawsuit to stop the project until Los Angeles County addresses their environmental concerns.

Three lots that are part of the planned subdivision appear to cross into Ventura County, which, if true, would require approval from the board for some or all of the project, Ventura County planners said.

Supervisors said this would give them the ammunition they need to hold the project up in court until the impact on local water supplies, flood control and traffic is adequately addressed.

“This tells them that they do have to pay attention to Ventura County,” board Chairman John K. Flynn said. “They’ve pretty much ignored us up to this point. They’ve just been running roughshod over everybody.”

But representatives for Newhall Land & Farming Co. and the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Department disputed the contention that a portion of the project straddles the county line.

“Our research shows us that those lots are not in Ventura County,” Newhall Land spokeswoman Marlee Lauffer said. “As far as our team can determine, all of the lots are wholly within Los Angeles County.”

Lee Stark, the Los Angeles County planner overseeing the proposed development, said his department’s research--based largely on information provided by Newhall--had reached the same conclusion.

“Apparently Ventura County sees it one way,” Stark said. “But the evidence presented to us so far leads us to a different conclusion.”

Ventura County officials said they will do further research on land deeds filed in Los Angeles before deciding for certain what action they will take. They said they hope that Newhall Land would be more cooperative in addressing their environmental concerns so as to avoid a lawsuit.

Supervisor Kathy Long, whose district abuts the proposed site, said she is most worried about the amount of water that will need to be pumped out of ground-water basins in Ventura County to support the development. Newhall Land owns 15,000 acres of land in Ventura County that includes some ground-water wells.

Long and Flynn said another concern of the county’s is the potential for major flooding that could occur as a result of runoff from the massive housing development into the Santa Clara River, which runs through Ventura County.

“We saw earlier this year what flooding did to Northern California,” Flynn said. “I don’t want that to happen here.”

The deadline for public comment on the environmental impact report on the Newhall Land project is Feb. 11. Ventura County supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a draft document that states their objections to some of the report’s conclusions.

Lauffer said that once the public comment period is closed, the developer will begin to address the concerns raised by Ventura County and others.

“We believe the environmental impact report very clearly addresses all of the impacts of Newhall Ranch on all of its neighbors, including Ventura County,” she said. “But we are committed to working with Ventura County.”

Meanwhile, Flynn said he believes that the county should also seek help from state and federal officials to halt the project because of its environmental impact on the entire region. The proposed housing development would transform a 19-square-mile tract of ranchland at the county line into a community of 70,000 residents.

“This is not just another project; this is a massive development,” he said. “I think we’re dealing with a real political heavyweight. It’s going to be a major battle.”