Ridgeline Project Plan Approved
A development stalled for nearly eight years by legal wrangling and controversy took a step closer to starting Tuesday, but could become the focus of another lawsuit.
The City Council voted 4 to 1 to approve a final layout for a project that will include 22 homes built along the ridgeline. Las Vegas casino owner Jack Binion first sought city permission for the development eight years ago, but opposition--and lawsuits--by Laguna Beach homeowners living below the project delayed development until the state Supreme Court rejected a final appeal in May.
But the final layout for streets and landscaping does not provide access to an adjacent, 2-acre parcel of Laguna Beach land owned by the Diamondhead Partnership.
A consultant on the Diamondhead project, Burt Johnson, said that he will be forced to take legal action against the city unless the Binion project includes access to the Laguna Beach property.
City Manager Tim Casey said there will likely be no reconsideration of the Binion project layout and that a lawsuit may be Johnson’s only recourse.
City officials said Diamondhead officials had their chance to request an access route when a tentative project map was approved by the city in 1995.
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