COUNTY PANEL REAPPROVES NEWHALL PLAN HEARING HELD IN EAST L.A.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The county Regional Planning Commission recommended Tuesday that the Board of Supervisors approve the massive Newhall Ranch project again, after its initial approval of the development was overturned by a judge.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will take up the controversial 21,615-home development Nov. 27, the same day a hearing is scheduled on a proposal to mine 56.1 million tons of sand and gravel from Soledad Canyon.

The commission approved Newhall Ranch 4-0, adding minor conditions before recommending that the project move forward.

Commissioner Esther Valadez, who missed several hearings on Newhall Ranch while on medical leave, abstained.

The supervisors had approved plans for the 12,000-acre project in 1999, prompting Ventura County and several environmental organizations to challenge the project in court.

Kern County Judge Roger D. Randall overturned the supervisors' ruling in June 2000, ordering the board to reconsider the project's impacts on traffic, animal and plant life and its consistency with the county's General Plan and the adequacy of water resources.

Opponents of the planned development site southwest of Santa Clarita contend The Newhall Land and Farming Co. project will harm endangered species, ruin the Santa Clara River and threaten the area's water supply.

The Planning Commission will require Newhall Land to submit a comprehensive plan designed to protect the recharge of the Saugus Aquifer once the company is ready to begin selling off the land for construction of the homes, Stark said.

The company will rely on the aquifer, parts of which is polluted with toxic chemicals, to store water in wet years to serve the project. The aquifer would then be pumped in dry years, according to Newhall Land officials.

The other condition of approval seeks to restrict homeowners from storing recreational vehicles on their property, Stark said.

``We're pleased it's moving forward,'' said Newhall Land spokeswoman Marlee Lauffer. ``We had good discussions and a good hearing on the issues.''

The endorsement came after a 15-minute hearing in East Los Angeles that was condemned by project opponents and Councilman Cameron Smyth as being too far away from Santa Clarita.

Lynne Plambeck, first vice president of the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment, and Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long have criticized the planning commission process, saying the hearings did not address or mitigate the real impacts of the project.