JUDGE OKS CHALLENGED SUBDIVISION ENVIRONMENTALISTS FEARED FOR RIVER.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

SANTA CLARITA -- A Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved the 1,089-home River Village subdivision that was challenged by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

The 33-page decision by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs, dated Monday and made public Tuesday, clears the way for The Newhall Land and Farming Company to build the development on acreage north of the Santa Clara River in Saugus.

The Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Santa Clara River and the California Water Impact Network filed suit in June 2005, challenging the Santa Clarita City Council's approval of the project.

The environmentalists alleged the project, formerly called Riverpark, did not offer adequate protection for the last unchanneled river in Los Angeles County. They also argued it would have a negative impact on animal and plant species in the area - the western spadefoot toad, the San Diego backtailed rabbit and the holly-leaf cherry scrub plant.

The plaintiffs also maintained the city's environmental impact report did not adequately assess the project's impact on the Santa Clara River.

Janavs disagreed.

``A review of the record discloses extensive discussion in the EIR and staff reports concerning the encroachment into the Santa Clara River and the impacts to it,'' the judge wrote.

Babak Naficy, the attorney for the plaintiffs, was not immediately available for comment.

Carolee Krieger, a spokeswoman for the California Water Impact Network, said Janavs has ruled in favor of developers before in similar cases. She said she was not surprised by the decision.

``I would bet you we're going to appeal it,'' Krieger said. ``Every time she's ruled against us in the past, we've gotten her rulings overturned.''

Geralyn L. Skapik, the lawyer who represented the city, said Janavs' ruling was ``a very well-written and well-reasoned decision.''

Skapik said Janavs took more than two months to reach a decision because she had to read more than 85,000 documents in the case and also has a busy calendar in general. She said Janavs is an expert in the California Environmental Quality Act, with which all EIRs must comply.

Robert I. McMurry, an attorney for the developer, said the project ``will allow for development that is needed in the area. It's evident by her 30-(odd)-page decision that she gave her decision a great deal of thought.''

Janavs took the case under submission May 31 and was defeated for re-election less than a week later by a candidate without judicial experience.

Due to the public outcry that followed, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reappointed the veteran jurist to the bench less than three days later.

The housing development will be built on land bordered by the Santa Clara River and Newhall Ranch, Bouquet Canyon and Soledad Canyon roads.