JUDGE OKS LAWSUIT AGAINST CITY OAKMONT VIEW PROJECT WILL MOVE FORWARD.Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer GLENDALE - A judge refused Friday to dismiss a lawsuit brought against the city of Glendale for blocking a proposed 572-home development in the Verdugo Mountains The Verdugo Mountains are a small mountain range located just south of the western San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, Southern California, The United States of America (USA). The range is commonly known simply as the Verdugos. . Developers of the Oakmont View project, Gregg's Artistic Homes, called the Superior Court ruling a victory for their efforts to push ahead with the project. ``This is a very significant victory,'' said Robert McMurry, attorney for Gregg's Artistic Homes. ``We hope that the city will now allow the owners a reasonable development of their property instead of continuing to make losing gambles with the taxpayers' money to appease ap·pease tr.v. ap·peased, ap·peas·ing, ap·peas·es 1. To bring peace, quiet, or calm to; soothe. 2. To satisfy or relieve: appease one's thirst. 3. political concerns.'' Attorneys for the city, however, downplayed the decision, saying it simply allows the case to move forward. ``It's an early decision on a preliminary motion,'' said City Attorney Scott Howard Scott Howard sings baritone with the Southern Gospel Quartet Legacy Five. He has been with the group since its inception in 2000. External Links Legacy Five's Homepage . Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Superior Court Judge Rodney Nelson still is deciding if claims in the developer's third lawsuit against the city have merit. If they do, the city will face a civil trial for blocking the project. The city could be liable for up to $50 million in damages, the developer's estimated value of the hillside property, said Lee Gregg, whose father, John Gregg John Gregg can refer to the following people:
Deborah Fox, an attorney representing Glendale, said the Greggs' strategy is to make the case so complicated the judge will be reluctant to dismiss it. ``It's a typical bullying Bullying Chowne, Parson Stoyle terrorizes parish; kidnaps children. [Br. Lit.: The Maid of Sker, Walsh Modern, 94–95] Claypole, Noah bully; becomes thief in Fagin’s gang. [Br. Lit. developer mentality,'' Fox said. The Oakmont View controversy began in 1992 after Gregg's Artistic Homes proposed a residential development on 238 acres of land in the Verdugo Mountains - what would be the largest subdivision in the city. In March, after years of delays, the city rejected the proposed development amid concerns about its environmental impact. Environmentalists and homeowners groups celebrated the project's denial, hoping the mountain area would remain untouched. ``We think that the highest and best use of that property is a beautiful natural park with hiking hiking Walking, often among hills or mountains, as recreational sport. It represents an activity in its own right and also figures in backpacking, camping, hunting, mountaineering, and orienteering. and equestrian equestrian a rider of horses. trails and places for kids to play out in nature. It would be a tragedy to lose that property to development,'' said Joseph Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1979 and dedicated to the acquisition of land in the Santa Susana and Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills, north and west of Los Angeles, for preservation as open . Attorneys for the developer had argued that delays and the denial of the project indicated the city would block any type of development on the land, effectively nullifying the property's worth. Gregg's Artistic Homes then sued the city for the worth of the Verdugo Mountains property, valued at about $50 million. Separately, Gregg's Artistic Homes has filed two other lawsuits against the city over delays and fees involved in the project. The city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees over the past decade, and spent $1.2 million for the initial environmental impact reports. |
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