Judge Refuses to Stop Wetlands Construction

A federal judge on Wednesday refused environmentalists’ plea for an injunction to bar bulldozing on the Playa Vista development site near Marina del Rey, but gave the plaintiffs until Friday afternoon to appeal his ruling.

Officials of the Wetlands Action Network, which along with plaintiffs CalPIRG and the Southwestern Center for Biological Diversity sought the injunction, said Wednesday that they would appeal District Judge Ronald S.W. Lew’s decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Last week, the three plaintiffs filed suit against the project’s developer, Playa Capital Co., as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, charging that the defendants have violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing construction in the wetlands area.

At that time, Lew issued a 10-day emergency stay barring grading on the site. The stay is in effect until Friday.

Peter Denniston, president of Playa Capital Co. LLC, said Wednesday that he expects work on the Playa Vista storm drains east of Lincoln Boulevard and south of Jefferson Boulevard to continue soon.

“Clearly we look at Judge Lew’s action as a victory for us,” he said.