Coalition Seeks to Ban Shopping Center Next to Abbey

A group of Roman Catholic priests and local environmentalists have filed suit to stop the county and developers from building a commercial center next to the priests’ abbey.

In a suit, the priests said the shopping center would ruin their seclusion and threaten St. Michael’s Abbey, which was founded in 1961 by a group of Norbertine priests from Hungary.

The proposed Live Oak Plaza, which has been tentatively approved by the county Board of Supervisors, would include shops, a gas station, and three single-family homes near El Toro Road and Live Oak Canyon Road. The intersection is home to Cook’s Corner, a venerable watering hole for local bikers.

The priests were joined in their suit by the Endangered Habitats League Inc., a coalition of local conservation groups. Officials with the groups said the center would cause air and noise pollution and strain the area’s ecosystem.

County supervisors, who were named as defendants in the action, approved a final environmental report for the project Dec. 4, according to the suit. The county had to amend a previously approved plan for the area that barred commercial development. In doing so, the county violated state laws, according to the suit.

“This deviation from the [previously approved plan] is precedent-setting,” said Pete DeSimone, one of the environmentalists. “This center would serve to destroy the canyon’s rural nature, so we think it’s time to challenge it.”

The group’s attorneys quoted a county report that acknowledged the plaza “is not compatible” with the church.

The same report, according to the suit, does not mention how the project would affect an endangered species, the Riverside fairy shrimp, which lives in nearby ponds.

The church and environmentalists want a judge to stop the developers and the county from proceeding with the plaza.

County officials and attorneys for the developers could not be reached for comment.