A California town is divided over a plan to build 3,000 homes on a stunning lakeside ranch, as environmental groups argue the land is prone to wildfires, while developers say it will bring tons of affordable housing.
The Fanita Ranch project was halted after it “abused its discretion and failed to proceed in the manner required by law,” Judge Katherine Bacal wrote in an order, following a lawsuit by environmental groups, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The 2,600-acre project would be built in the hills of Santee Lakes near San Diego to alleviate the region’s housing shortage and was supposed to provide quick escape routes in the event of wildfires.
However, Bacal said the plan was inconsistent with the city’s plan and Fanita Ranch violated California’s environmental protection laws, according to CBS 8 San Diego.
The developers, HomeFed Fanita Rancho LLC, plan to appeal the decision, Jeff O’Conner told The Union-Tribune.
He also added that the project would have helped counter the city’s affordable housing crisis.
The Fanita Ranch project was halted after it “abused its discretion and failed to proceed in the manner required by law,” Judge Katherine Bacal ruled (pictured: the planned site)
The 2,600-acre project would be built in the hills of Santee Lakes near San Diego to alleviate the region’s housing shortage and provide quick escape routes in the event of wildfires.
Mayor John Minto said his community still “supports our efforts to meet state demands to create additional housing in our city in a way that benefits our community.”
Three thousand homes were supposed to be built, including housing for low-income people, but environmental groups feared the area would be prone to wildfires, as 65 fires have burned in the area in the past 100 years, according to CBS 8 San Diego.
“There are places where development doesn’t belong and an extreme fire zone is one of them,” Van Collinsworth, director of Preserve Wild Santee, one of the groups that filed a lawsuit in 2022, told CBS 8 San Diego.
This is not the first time the project has faced backlash since its approval in 2020.
The developers, HomeFed Fanita Rancho LLC, plan to appeal the decision. It also added that the project would have contributed $2.6 million to the city’s affordable housing crisis (pictured: mock-ups of homes)
Three thousand homes were supposed to be built, including housing for low-income people, but environmental groups feared the area would be prone to wildfires, as 65 fires have burned in the area in the past 100 years (pictured: housing markets)
Shortly after its approval, environmental groups filed a lawsuit, saying the community would not be able to provide quick evacuation routes, and Bacal said in a separate ruling that Santee had to withdraw the approval, according to The Union-Tribune.
The council canceled the referendum and reintroduced the project in 2022 after giving the developers the green light again after they changed the process for considering the project, eliminating the need for a ballot vote.
“The court correctly rejected the city’s attempt to push through the Fanita Ranch project without considering the dangers of developing it in a wildfire-prone area,” Center for Biological Diversity senior counsel John Bose told The Union-Tribune.
‘This decision is a victory for the exceptionally diverse wildlife here and for nearby residents who will not face increased risk from wildfires.’
The city reintroduced the project in 2022 after giving the developers the green light again after they changed the process for considering the project, eliminating the need for a ballot vote, prompting a lawsuit (pictured: a coffee shop mockup)
Environmental groups argued that the area needed to be preserved. Much of the project site was planned to remain undeveloped and a network of trails would also be included.
The Endangered Habitats League, the California Chaparral Institute, the Santee Wild Preserve and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit alleging the area needs to be preserved. The development is located between Mission Trails Park and Sycamore Canyon Preserve.
Much of the project site was planned to remain undeveloped and would include a network of trails.
Residents had already voted on Fanita Rach in 1999 and 2005, but both proposals were rejected.
DailyMail.com has contacted the ranch for comment.
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