Significant Ecological Area Changes in LA County Hearing

Dear Property Owners in Antelope Valley, LA County is progressing on making significant changes to the zoning in the County land Areas in Antelope Valley. Some of the changes will make some land parcels worthless unless you buy all the neighbors properties. They plan on only allowing a home to be built on 10 or even 20 acres on the far east side in High Vista Areas. The changes will also not allow you to build in areas where there are endangered plants and animals. There is a new hearing this week, so you need to do your research quickly and send a letter to Richard Bruckner and Supervisor Antonovich to slow this process to at least debate it more. The following is a sample letter we forwarded. More help is needed. Thank You property owners County of Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning 320 West Temple Street Los Angeles, CA. 90012 Attn: Mr. Richard Bruckner Aug. 2, 2014 RE: The Pending Hillside Management and SEO Hearings It is our understanding that the Los Angeles County General Plan 2035 includes two ordinances within it; the Significant Ecological Area (SEA) and Hillside Management Area (HMA). These two ordinances will drastically affect any future housing needs and job creation within the county of Los Angeles if adopted as it is currently written. our opinion is that these changes go too far and are unneeded, and the amount of land that these plans affected is enormous. We request that the Planning Commission move to a continuance on any further discussion on the SEA and HMA. Allow property owners to review this and debate it further. Sincerely, Property Owner Cc: Supervisor Antonovich

Where are the Significant Ecological Areas of the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County, Ca?

We get a number of inquiries regarding the location of these plant and animal wild life areas. We have looked at specific areas of the Antelope Valley which harbor most of the Significant Ecological Areas (SEA) that encompasses stricter land uses. These areas are essentially protected natural locations and by definition a protected area would be a “clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means to achieve long-term conservation of nature, the ecosystem, and cultural values”.
The stricter land use primarily means less development would be allowed, but development is not prohibited. For example a small portion of AVSolarRanchOne’s property is within a SEA Zone.
There is a map supplied by the Los Angeles County Regional Planning department, but as far as we can tell a detailed version is not online, but you can purchase one from the Planning Department. The SEA zone areas that involve the Antelope Valley are mostly on the far west side. Most of these but not all of theses area involve the Joshua Tree Woodlands. Approximately (2) 640 acres parcel areas between 180th West to 190th West Ave C-8 to Ave E-8, Also a large 640 acre Park at 200th West to 210th at Ave E to Ave F, Most of Fairmount Butte south of Ave D (Hwy 138) through the Butte mountains to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. It also encompasses most of the area from 200th to 210th West from Ave. C-8 to Ave F which includes the Park. Another area is a backward L shaped area from 190th West to 200th West Ave B-8 to Ave D. In addition, there are two large areas which are irregularly shaped from Ave A to A-12 200th West to 220th West. This particular area was owned by Red Dawn SunTower LLC (E-Solar) which they now appear to be selling. It may be because they ran across environmental issues with the Joshua Tree Woodlands. There is another large area which spans the breadth and width of AV SolarRanchOne now owned by First Solar Inc.
This SEA Zone area is generally north of the developing Solar Ranch running 140th West to 180th West from Ave B to Ave D. The SEA zone doesn’t cover all of this area but most of it.
On Antelope Valley’s East Side there are three main Significant Ecological Areas one is the Llano wash where the SEA zone runs the length and width of this along a narrow stream corridor from Ave Z north to Ave M 110th East to 150th East at its widest span. The second area surrounds and encompasses Saddle Butte Park which is 160th East to 200th East Ave J to Ave M. This SEA zone is almost a circle around the Park. The third area is 230th Street East to 260th Street East (San Bernardino County line) from Ave R south to the mountains. Theses three East side areas involve water areas and washes which provide nutrients and protection to small plants and animal life.
There is sparse development in these SEA zones, but large development would most likely be prohibited. Two cases in point are the Fairmount Butte Motor Sports park was within a SEA zone and that project is now cancelled, and also E-Solar is selling most of the land it recently acquired we think primarily because of the Joshua Tree Woodlands. But custom homes have been built and continually are built in these areas, and as we mention part of AV Solar Ranch One’s property is within a SEA Zone.

Environmentalists Say Yes to Solar Land Development But No to MotorSports

Late last year the Fairmont Butte Motorsports Developer bowed to environmental and community opposition. In an open letter to supporters he wrote: I regret to inform you that, after more than eight years of hard work and high hopes, I have decided to discontinue efforts to create our vision for a beautiful new racetrack in the Antelope Valley. As you might imagine, it was an extremely difficult decision
Respectfully,
Thomas E. Malloy

We also located a follow up e-mail from County Supervisor Deputy
via the AV High Desert Forum site
November 18, 2010
I have been informed this afternoon the property where the Fairmont Motor Sports park was proposed to go has been sold to another buyer. The buyer is using the property as mitigation land and open space. The Racetrack is no longer a concern as County Regional Planning has been told to stop all work on the project.

Norm Hickling, Deputy to Supervisor Antonovich
Antelope Valley Field Office

The AVSolar Ranch One had passed its EIR (Environmental Impact Report) last September, but the Motorsports proposal couldn’t jump that hurdle. AV Solar Ranch One indicates on their website that their projects have environmental benefits of low visual impact panels (10 feet maximum), no water requirement to produce electricity, avoidance of Joshua Tree Woodlands, and no impact on threaten species. Both projects were situated almost across the road from one another at 170th to 150th West at Hwy 138 (Ave D).

The Joshua Tree Woodlands is part if the Significant Ecological Area (SEA), and virtually fifty percent of the Motorsports Parkway proposal was in the SEA zone. It also appears a small portion of AV Solar is within the SEA zone. LA Regional Planning indicates that the 320 acres of land the Parkway was going to use will now be mitigation land and open space, so this area at 150th West at Hwy 138 will be not be developed. It also looks like much of the Fairmont Butte area will not be developable as much of this area is SEA zone with protected plants and animal life. Property owners should think seriously about buying land in these areas as environmental groups and Los Angeles Regional have drawn a line in the Antelope Valley desert sand. Large developments in SEA zones may face environmental obstacles, but small custom homes on SEA zones have occurred as they have limited impact on the environment.

Significant Ecological Land Areas of Los Angeles Counties, Antelope Valley, To Buy Or Not to Buy SEA Land?

The Antelope Valley and Surrounding areas of Santa Clarita, and parts of Kern County have significant ecological areas (SEA) which were designated in the county's 1980 General Plan. They are intended to protect wildlife migration corridors and valuable habitat for native plants, birds and mammals. Los Angeles County officials define a significant ecological area as an important habitat for native plants and animals or fragile land or water area. Some of the plants and animals in these areas are the Joshua Tree Woodland, alkali scrub, scrub oak, creosote, California poppy, wildflower grasslands, ephemeral streams, burrowing owls, ground squirrels, desert tortoise, bobcats and coyotes.

The name, number and location of these areas near Antelope Valley are San Francisquito Cyn. (19) north of Valencia endangered fish Santa Clara River(23) Santa Clarita Valley endangered fish Edwards AFB (47) north of Lancaster endangered plants Big Rock Wash (48) Antelope Valley wildlife habitat Little Rock Wash (49) near Palmdale wildlife habitat Rosamond Lake (50) N.E. of Lancaster alkali sink Saddleback Butte east of Lancaster wildlife refuge, State Park (51) desert wildflowers Alpine Butte (52) east of Palmdale wildlife, wildflowers Lovejoy Butte (53) east of Palmdale wildlife habitat Piute Butte (54) east of Palmdale birds, wildlife Desert-Montane east of Palmdale wildlife habitat Transect (55) Ritter Ridge (56) west of Palmdale Joshua trees Fairmont & Antelope west of Lancaster refuge for birds buttes (57) of prey Portal Ridge/Liebre near Gorman diverse plant life Mountain (58) Tehachapi Foothills (59) near Gorman wildflowers Joshua Tree Woodland (60) N.W. of Lancaster Joshua trees Kentucky Springs (61) south of Palmdale Great Basin sage Lyon Cyn (63) Valencia woodland habitat Valley Oaks Savannah (64) Valencia valley oak habitat

Growth in these unincorporated SEA areas of the Antelope Valley is limited but not prohibited. There is currently development in these areas, and homes can be built in the Joshua Tree Woodlands, but you will not see urban sprawl like there is in Lancaster and Palmdale, Ca. The SEA areas are guided by the Los Angeles County Antelope Valley Area Plan. The Area Plan designates each property for a particular land use, such as rural residential, urban residential, commercial, or agriculture. In addition, the Area Plan includes a movement plan for trails, bike routes and highways, provisions for the protection of environmentally sensitive areas, and specific policies for each town in the unincorporated area. There was a proposal to preserve over 200,000 acres of Eastern and Western Antelope Valley as a Significant Ecological Zone. That plan earlier this decade would have limited the development of any home in an SEA area to one home per ten acres. Those targeted areas included the Joshua Tree Woodlands and most of the Eastern Antelope Valley from the city limits of Lancaster and Palmdale to San Bernardino County. That proposal was not adopted. Recently there have been a number of Solar Facilities which have gotten approval at of near SEA Zones, so there has been development in or near these areas. In addition a recreational racetrack is nearing approval near the poppy reserve.

Land investors who own land in these areas or those who plan to invest should consider the positives and negatives of any investment in a SEA zone as development is restricted. Some of these areas could be mitigation areas, where the Bureau of Land Management would approve a developer to develop in another area if they buy a SEA zoned area and donate its use and protection to the park service. This mitigation exchange is quite common. Investment due diligence is necessary when making a long term investment.