LA County Building first New Freeway in 25 Years in Antelope Valley

The Los Angeles Times has reported that buying land and digging begins June 2018. That is correct Cal Trans and Joint Powers Authority has commenced the project for the freeway between Lancaster and Palmdale to San Bernardino. If you own land along P-8 you may be getting a call shortly. The $8 Billion dollar project will connect Hwy 14 to Interstate 15 along a 63 mile route. The environmental impact report has already been approved. This paves the way for land purchases along the route. They have $274 million set aside for land purchases via a sales tax increase from Measure M. Many are complaining about the environmental ecosystems of the burrowing owl, desert tortoise and kangaroo squirrel, but I failed to mention the Joshua tree and many other sensitive life. Many have squirreled away old land purchases in the hopes for development. Well the next few months you may get your opportunity. Much of the land along the route is barren unused land with little to no development in site especially along the eastern part of the valley. This land sells today for $1k/acre to a high of $2k/acre. Sellers may get more due to the need, but eminent domain may push the lower price based on recent sales. There is other land within the city limits of Palmdale and Lancaster that will fetch a much higher price, as the route moves mostly along P-8 and it will feed to the future High Speed Rail. If you have looked to sell or looked to buy then today maybe one of the best opportunities on the east side.

BYD Increases Bus Sales In Washington State

AVPress LANCASTER - BYD's electric bus factory got a boost with Washington state transportation officials' selection of BYD for 10 of 12 types of electric buses expected to be ordered by Washington transit agencies and other entities. The selection does not constitute orders for bus production, but it sets price agreements for buses that Washington transit agencies, colleges, cities, Indian nations and nonprofit organizations can order over the next five years, Washington officials said. "It's huge news, huge news," Mayor R. Rex Parris said. "We've always been very confident the world was going to wake up, that this is the new form of bus transportation. There's not any serious competition anywhere in the world." The Washington State Department of Transportation Heavy Duty Bus Request for Proposal is intended to allow agencies to buy new buses without having to perform their own solicitation, analysis and awards, said David Chenaur, a business analyst with the department's public transportation division. In all, the department approved 26 categories of buses of varying lengths and engines - clean diesel, hybrid, compressed natural gas, plug-in electric and on-route charging electric - for a potential total purchase of 800 buses, Chenaur said. Link Transit in Wenatchee, Washington, has already ordered five BYD buses, he said. "These orders put us into a great position for expansion," said Micheal Austin, BYD America vice president.The company employs more than 300 people at the Lancaster plant and elsewhere in Southern California, he said. BYD's buses were the only ones with wireless on-routing charging approved by Washington officials, the company said."Electric buses are no longer a science fair project. With BYD now producing a long-range bus in nearly every category we have proven the technology is here to stay," Macy Meshati, BYD Coach & Bus vice president of sales, said in the company's announcement. BYD has a contract with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for up to 25 buses, and a 10-bus contract with Long Beach Transit. The first five Metro buses were delivered in May.The Antelope Valley Transit Authority also plans to buy 29 electric buses beyond the two BYD buses it already has. BYD officials in May 2013 dedicated the Lancaster plant, which is the first Chinese-owned vehicle plant in the United States. BYD officials are talking with city officials about doubling the plant's size, not only to accommodate increased bus production but to build electric delivery trucks as well, Parris said. More expansion could follow that, he said. Parris said the firm's local employment is expected to reach 700 in two years. "BYD is going to be bigger than aircraft (employment) has ever been," Parris said. In January, GO-Biz, the state's economic development office, allocated $3 million in tax credits to BYD. The credits will be given provided the company meets certain employment and investment milestones. Under the tax credit agreement, BYD must ramp up its workforce to at least 243 workers in 2016, to 388 in 2017 and to 625 in 2018. BYD must pay a minimum annual salary of $27,040 and an average annual salary of $44,110 by 2018, under the agreement, and is required to make investments of $51 million by 2018.

EIR (Environmental Impact Report) is Under Way for Thousands of Future Solar Acres of Land in Lancaster and Los Angeles County

The Lancaster City officials recently authorized an environmental impact report on a proposal to install solar panels on 1,350 to 1,500 acres in west Lancaster. The Sustainable Power Group (sPower) (formerly Silverado Power, LLC) has filed a conditional use permit (CUP 14-10) for the development of 250 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic solar Power on approximately 1,500 acres. Due to the size of the proposed project, the preparation of an EIR is required as part of the approval process. Lancaster Planning Dept. on May 27, 2014 had a request for proposals (RFP) for the preparation of an EIR for the proposed project was sent out for consideration to 12 environmental consulting firms. Seven proposals were submitted to the City by the deadline of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, 2014. Staff and the developer have reviewed the consultant proposals, and staff is recommending that the City retain the services of Stantec to prepare the EIR. Stantec will prepare the environmental impact report at a cost of more than $246,000. The cost would be paid by the Sustainable Power Group, which also would be required to pay a $25,000 deposit to cover city administrative costs. A recent article by the AV Press indicated that the 250-megawatt project is the largest ever proposed within city limits, though other larger solar plants have been approved elsewhere in the Antelope Valley. The planned solar area is generally bounded by 80th and 105th streets west, Columbia Way (Avenue M) and Avenue K-4. Just last month sPower Group received approval from Los Angeles County planners for six solar power fields proposed to cover nearly 1,000 acres around Antelope Acres and west of Lancaster. This 1500 acre Lancaster Solar Project is similar to the Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One which was approved for 230 megawatts on 2,100 acres at Avenue D and 170th Street West. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett's has a 579-megawatt Solar Star development is 3,230 acres straddling the Kern County-Los Angeles County line between 110th and 190th streets west. The Silverado Power/Sustainable Power Group projects approved last month by the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission are proposed on Avenue B east of 110th Street West (20 megawatts, 240 acres), Avenue K west of 110th Street West (40 megawatts, 157 acres), Avenue G west of 70th Street West (35 megawatts, 135 acres), Avenue I west of 112th Street West (20 megawatts, 160 acres), Avenue D at 35th Street West (5 megawatts, 38 acres), and between avenues J to H-8 between 85th and 97th streets west (52 megawatts, 256 acres). In giving their approval, county planners attached a condition to the project at Avenue J and 85th Street West that requires the developer to provide an air filtration system for the adjacent Summerhaven Ranch All-Nations Retreat Center prior to construction. A condition was added to the project on Avenue K west of 110th Street West that requires the developer to dedicate one-third of the site as permanent open space. The Antelope Valley is quickly becoming the Solar Capital of the US. This bodes well for land owners on Lancaster’s West side. Buy land and wait still holds true in Los Angeles County.

Transit Orientation Development T. O. D. Zoning in Lancaster Ca.

Over the past decade, the City of Lancaster has been updating its General Plan and Zoning Code along with other planning documents that include the Lancaster Design Guidelines, the Master Plan of Trails and Bikeways, the Downtown Specific Plan, and vision plans for selected areas – with the goal of making Lancaster a more sustainable, livable, walkable, bikeable and valuable community. A key strategy and central focus of this work has been to restore, intensify, and reanimate the City’s historic downtown and surrounding neighborhoods and corridors, an effort that has already yielded remarkable positive results in the form of the transformed Lancaster Boulevard (The BLVD) and a rebounding Downtown economy. The 2030 General Plan defines a set of Transit Village Planning Areas surrounding the Downtown core, and directs that new zoning standards be prepared for these areas to implement more walkable, mixed-use, transit-oriented development patterns. The City applied for and received a funding grant from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) – part of a larger Sustainable Communities grant that Metro received from the Strategic Growth Council – to prepare these T.O.D. Zones for the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest Transit Planning Areas. These T.O.D. Zones provide a means of implementing the community’s vision and expanding the revitalization that is already under way by providing unique and focused development standards that enable and promote high quality, walkable, mixed-use and transit oriented neighborhoods surrounding The BLVD core and the Metrolink Station. They define development standards and use standards for the design of buildings and related site improvements in the areas. This zoning is vision-based and describes community expectations for the urban character and form of these neighborhoods. These place-specific zones encompass the subjects of land use and development intensity, but also include significant amounts of information about the design of the neighborhood streetscapes, the scale and form of new buildings, and the intended physical character of each area. They provide clear direction for how pedestrian-oriented streets and other public open spaces are made, and how private buildings are located and designed to physically shape and overlook those streetscapes and public spaces, fostering a strong sense of community security while encouraging pedestrian activity. Such are the foundation of transit-oriented places and neighborhood environments that build and hold their value over time. The T.O.D. Zones are based on general objectives, which are central to making safe, valuable, walkable transit-oriented urban places: This transit zone is between Ave I and Ave J running north to south along Division and diagonally along Sierra Hwy. It also encompasses some area west of Sierra Hwy and south of Lancaster Blvd (I-8). Within in this T.O.D zone there will be subzones such as SA Station Area, CC Corridor Commercial, EC Employment Commercial, and WD Workshop District. This is all part of the 2030 General plan. This area will eventually be more bike oriented and walkable with shops and services and a connection to the Metrolink. The area is currently developed and some areas do not conform to the current future plan. For example there are homes east of Sierra Hwy and South of Lancaster Blvd. They will not be destroyed, but they must at least conform to the prior zoning and codes. It is unlikely anyone can change their current zone to anything else but what would in the future conform to the T.O. D. So if you have a duplex then you will not be able to change the house to something else unless it is change to a new T.O. D zone.

City of Lancaster and Solar Company in joint agreement to develop Recycle Recharge Station in Fox Field Industrial Corridor

The Antelope Valley Press recently reported an agreement with the City Council of Lancaster and E-Solar, a producer of modular solar thermal power plants. The plan is to develop a means to recycle city water, which E-Solar uses for cooling their solar towers. E-Solar has plans to develop a prototype plant in the city of Lancaster, and a larger one on county land on the far west side near Neenach. Press reports indicate that under the terms of the agreement E-Solar will support some major expenses on behalf of the city.
The company will forward $500k to the design and environmental impact documents for the Lancaster Recycled Water Recharge Pilot Project, at 60th Street West and Avenue F. They will also contribute up to $1.5 million for construction of a pump and for extending the existing pipelines. This pipeline will provide recycled water service for the city. Los Angeles County owns one hundred acres in Fox Field at 60th West at Ave F to F-4 which is the target area for development. The recycled water will be treated to a high degree of cleansing called tertiary treatment which will then be used to recharge the aquifer beneath the Antelope Valley for nature’s further purification. E-Solar will be instrumental in design and construction of the transmission pipelines and a pumping station which will then be dedicated to the city once completed.
The agreement has been initially approved by the city council and Mayor Parris. The Mayor indicated agreements and permits have been achieved to initiate the process.
E-Solar has a pilot solar power plant in Lancaster at Avenue G and Division Street and it is expected to go online this year. In addition, they are proposing to build a larger plant in Antelope Valley that will rival the energy output of Hoover Dam.
Solar companies have selected Antelope Valley recently due to a willing City like Lancaster, and available low priced land that has been primarily vacant near the metropolis of Los Angeles County. The solar growth is in line with the State of California's mandate to produce 33% of power from non-fossil fuel sources.
Vacantlanddeals owns a property for sale which may be part of or at minimum next to this proposed water recycling and irrigation area. Our parcel is 5 acres at 62nd West at Ave F-4, just south of the 100 acres owned by Los Angeles County. This property is for sale at the lowest price range of Fox Field, and it is clearly in the path of near term development. Contact us for more details on this industrial zone parcel, or other properties we have. info@vacantlanddeals.com

Biden says California is Prime Target for High Speed Rail Project

Although California is in a budget crisis, Vice President Joe Biden said that the state's high-speed rail project is well positioned to compete for a large share of the $8 billion that the Obama administration set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for rail lines.

The planned high-speed rail system would commute passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The train would stop in Palmdale, Ca as a major stop, and it would be a major boost for the local economy, making access to the Antelope Valley even easier. California voters approved $9 billion in bonds for the project in the recent November election. The state hopes federal funding and the private sector will complete the expected $34 billion estimated budget, which is only the first phase, which would connect San Francisco to Anaheim. The second phase would further connect a total 800 miles from Sacramento to San Diego traveling primarily down the center of the State via Fresno and Bakersfield. Construction between Anaheim and San Francisco would take at least a decade, according to planners.

Reports indicate that the portion that initially applies to the Recovery Act criteria for high-speed rail would be the rail line between San Francisco to San Jose and Los Angeles to Anaheim. The administration is looking for “shovel ready” opportunities which entail having contracts awarded by 2012 and work completed by 2017.

The potential real estate impact for the Antelope Valley is years away, but it bodes well for towns just outside of major metropolitan areas. There will be vacant land opportunities up and down the State, and this is another example for buying land within the path of growth, and getting there before development creates the greatest percentage of growth. We will see how this all transpires, but the focus of California and the current administration is mass transit and near term employment opportunities.