AV Solar Ranch One’s Progess and Delays

In July of this year the Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One was vandalized by an unknown source. The incident was reported in their monthly meetings to the local community. The damage costs are estimated to be $100,000. The vandal actually cut a transmission line and a water pipe about 2.5 miles from the solar project site. A report was filed with the local Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and a reward of $25000 has been posted by First Solar for information that leads to the prosecution of the vandal. They now have 24 hour security at the site. AV Solar Ranch One (AVSR1) is owned by embattled First Solar, whose stock was over $200 and dropped below $12 but has recovered a little. The project will move on for this 230-Megawatt photovoltaic solar power plant. There were also rumors of a verbal dispute involving the Los Angeles County Inspector and First Solar employees which led to a shutdown for two months. There are 3.7 million cadmium telluride thin film panels that First Solar was preparing to install at the Exelon facility but they are not Underwriters Laboratory-approved. State of California building and safety codes require UL approval of electrical connectors, but it is not the case in other States where First Solar Inc. operates. The issue has since been resolved. There have also been disputes with the local community over debris left by workers, 18 hour work shifts. There are also several individual communities in the area. At one of the community meetings, it was reported that Antelope Acres, some twelve miles from the Solar Ranch One location, was granted $100,000 for its town council, $10,000 for its 4H Club and $10,000 for a community center, among other considerations. First Solar also donated mitigation lands to Antelope Acres’ chosen desert conservancy, yet Fairmont Town Council whose residents live within 500 feet of the site, has been granted nothing. The company indicated that they considered Fairmount to be within the Antelope Acres Community. Well the Fairmont council members didn’t like that either. Also, many local residents complain that the solar panels are an “eye soar” to the landscape among the poppy fields and the distance mountains. The project is approved and it is moving forward despite the small issues for a project of this size. Californians say they want alternative power and jobs and progress yet they do not want them in their own back yard. If the State wants Solar and Wind projects then they have to be built somewhere, and Antelope Valley is a prime location for these projects.

Invest in California Land as a College Fund for your Child or Grandchild

College costs have been increasing dramatically over the past few years with no long term change in site. California has proposition 30 which is a tax hike for California Schools. The proposition is losing in recent polls, so if it fails then the State will have to make further cuts to the education budget. The cuts will be in the billions and will affect all levels of education. An alternative is to invest wisely in real estate like California land. The Antelope Valley is an area of an abundance of available raw land. It is approximately 60 miles or one hour from downtown Los Angeles. Land prices fluctuate over time, but they are at their lows currently. You can buy land in this area for as low as $5000 to $10,000 or more, but with an 8 to 10 year horizon land banking is a low risk investment. If you invested in a parcel of land for say $30,000 at the current low end of the market this should create a viable return in 8 to 10 years. Land and real estate fluctuates in price over a 5 to 10 years timeframe. A parcel bought wisely today should show a 25 to 100% increase in 5 to 10 years as development and the area economy grows. This is what Antelope Valley has done consistently over the past several decades. Fortunes have been made buying low and selling higher in Antelope Valley. We can help you buy an ideal parcel of land based on your budget that has a positive outlook for the future based on it’s current location to city services, such as a paved road, power and proximity to development. So a $30,000 investment with a potential 100% return will more then pay for several years of college for your child. Land is also an inflation hedge as it is increases in value with inflation. It has been recommended by hedge fund managers and the bond king Bill Gross of Pimco that real assets like real estate is a great hedge against a possible future recession or economic slow down. Land is a secure way to plan for the future either as a hedge against economic times or an ideal investment for your child’s future education. Contact us and we can show you how it is done.

Lancaster is Planning Around the Metro-link Station for the Cal High Speed Rail

The City of Lancaster is currently creating a plan to revitalize of the area surrounding the Lancaster Metrolink Station. The funds were provided by a grant from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). The target area to be revitalized is between Sierra Hwy and Division and Lancaster Blvd to Ave J. The regional planning meetings have outlined what they hope to achieve. They look to extend the success of Lancaster Boulevard (The BLVD) to the east side of the railroad tracks, transforming the STVPA into a mixed-use urban neighborhood, well connected to the Downtown area. Use the Metrolink station more as a pedestrian-oriented, multi-modal, urban transit facility at the hub of the Downtown area and the STVPA. They plan to create better pedestrian, bicycle, and bus connections to the Metrolink Station from both sides of the railroad tracks, in addition to convenient access by car. They also plan to make us of the station area for mixed-use zoning that provides transit-convenient housing, employment, and retail uses that complement those on Lancaster Blvd. Mixed Use allows multiple level building of retail at ground level and residential. They also eventually plan to accommodate the California Highs Speed Rail Alignment when and if it passes through Downtown. Does this mean planning knows the direct route of the High Speed Rail through the area? The plans that we have seen are more general and don’t show an exact route. In either case the area around the Metro should see some upgrades and revitalization.

Some of the Endangered Animals Affected By Development in Los Angeles Counties Antelope Valley

Kangaroo Rate-98% of its habitat gone, the giant kangaroo rat continues to be threatened by agricultural and urban development, and rodenticides. Kangaroo Rats are found only in the more arid regions of the western and southwestern U.S. Several species occur in all four southwestern deserts. Many of the 22 Kangaroo Rats occur only in California. The Ord's Kangaroo Rat is the most wide ranging and occurs between the Sierra Nevada and Rocky mountains from southern Canada to central Mexico. They mainly eat grass and seed and live years in the wild. Burrowing Owl-As of 2011, there remain only an estimated 10,000 breeding pairs of burrowing owls in the world. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act established provisions to protect the remaining populations in Canada, Mexico and the United States. They are active during both day and night, and nest underground in burrows rather than in trees. They mostly dwell in open grassland areas or bare desert ground like Fairmont Butte, relying upon the burrows dug by small rodents like ground squirrels for the spaces they make their homes. Land development has impacted upon burrowing owl owls and their grassland habitats when human expansion erodes their territory. Farmers near the homes of burrowing owls use pesticides to diminish the presence of crop harming pests which the owls rely on to create their habitats. With decreased presence of the rodents they depend on, the species has fewer homes to nest in. Desert Tortoise- It has a life span of 50 to 80 years and weighs 8 to 15 lbs. A desert tortoise's diet may include herbs, grasses, some shrubs and the new growth of cacti and their flowers. The desert tortoise is able to live where ground temperatures may exceed 140 degrees because of its ability to dig underground burrows to escape the heat. It spends up to 95% of its time under ground to escape the heat of the summer and the cold of winter. They live in burrows which they dig that can be 3-6 feet deep. They will spend November through February in a torpid or dormant state in their underground burrows. Ground Squirrel-The Mojave ground squirrel measures about nine inches from nose to tail and feeds on leaves and seeds from February to July. In mid summer they begin a period of estivation which is a prolonged state of inactivity of an animal during hot or dry weather adapting to the desert heat. The squirrel inhabits the western Mojave Desert in portions of Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties. It lives within Joshua tree woodlands, creosote scrub, saltbush scrub and Mojave mixed woody scrub. Typical forage plants are those that meet nutritional and water content requirements. Mohave ground squirrels emit a high-pitched "peep" as an alarm call, when startled or when young begin to emerge from their natal burrows.

There is a Proposal to Expand the Significant Ecological Areas of the Antelope Valley

Significant Ecological areas are areas where there are endangered species of plants and animals. The main endangered animals of the Antelope Valley are the ground squirrel and desert tortoise, while the Joshua Tree and Poppies are the most prominent plants that are endangered in these areas. But there are a number of lesser know endangered species like the burrowing owl, and smaller plant life. These new areas will include an enormous area on Antelope Valley’s North East side from Redman to High Vista and on the west side most of the area will be Fairmount Butte south of Hwy 138 from 140th West to 170th West and south to the mountains. The largest areas in this new proposal will be on the East side south of Edwards Airforce Base almost covering From Hwy 14 to the San Bernardino border from ave H north to the base. Most of these areas are vacant unused land or farmland with little to no development. The eco zone will also run along the wash areas. The three main wash areas where water runs from the San Gabriel Mountains will be included in this proposal. An area that is considered a significant ecological zone allows for limited development. And in some cases no development. If an area is widely used by the desert tortoise then no development will be acceptable, so only mitigation land use will be approved. Some areas near the Joshua tree forest could be developed but will scattered homes without changing the landscape. We have maps of these proposed changes so you can see if your future parcel or current land parcel is within these zones.

Larger Firms are Buying Foreclosed Homes Causing Small Businesses to be Outbid While low priced California Land is Still available.

Larger investment firms on Wall Street have branched off into buying foreclosed homes. Usually such a small investment would not be of interest to Wall Street but they are now buying these homes to rent them out and eventually sell them when the market improves. These firms are buying homes all over the country at the court house steps where most foreclosed homes are sold. We went to a few of these sales and attempted to bid on a property, but we were outbid. A home which might sell on the market for $100,000 sold for $85,000. A small operation may bid $65,000 for such a home as the cost to clean it up and make it ready for renting may cut into the resale value. Increasingly small mom and pop businesses get outbid by these new large capital investment firms. Small firms like at least at 20% yield on a home while the larger investment firm will take 10% yield. We have seen low end bidding homes slowly and then when the auctioneer says last and final the bid bidder (investment firm) bids it up and takes it. Many of these foreclosed homes have had squatters living on the premises, or broken windows, and doors. It causes security and insurance issues with the property. Many insurance companies require that you live in the state where your investment home is, or have a property manager on site. According to a recent news reports one firm bought over a 100 homes in a day totaling over $8 million. These large investment firms are raising money from investors to buy and mange these properties and they are backed with billions of dollars. Most banks currently sell foreclosed homes one at a time, and lots of them get pulled from the auction list as they work with the property owner to save the property. It takes a lot or time effort and money to buy these foreclosed homes, while very well priced ideal land parcels are available with little to no other buyers vying against you. We specialize in low price land opportunities in Lancaster and Palmdale, Ca. If we don’t have the property on our inventory then we will locate a suitable property that meets your needs. We work with solar firms, mitigation bankers, land bankers and individual investors. We can locate the best priced property for your individual portfolio. Call us at 213 500-9578 Vacantlanddeals.com

Los Angeles County Proposes Rural Land Zoning Changes in Antelope Valley which Is Unfavorable to Land Investors

Los Angeles Regional Planning has been proposing new rural agricultural land zoning from the generally current zoning of LCA (Los Angeles County Agricultural and rural zoning. The current zoning allows farming and one home per 2 acres in the majority of Antelope Valley’s east and west sides. Many of the parcels on the far east side and far west sides of the Antelope Valley are 2.5 acres to 640 acres. This zoning today is fairly favorable to land owners as it allows say two dwellings in a four acre lot. Most parcels are broken down from 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40 acres and so on up to 640 acres. The new zoning will drastically change the land use and development of these parcels and the vast majority of parcels will fall into RL 10 or RL 20, which is Rural Land one dwelling per 10 acres or one dwelling per 20 acres. This new zoning change will impact thousands of land owners negatively. This means you will need at least 10 acres on the far east or far west in order to put one house on your property. Most Antelope Valley Country land owners will need 20 acres in order to build one dwelling. So land owners with large parcels in the 40 to 640 acres will only be able to put a minimal amount of homes on their parcels. Thusly you can only put two homes on a 40 acres parcel zoned RL-20. It means the county wants this land to have limited development or to be farmed but the cost to run power, and water to these remote areas would be cost prohibited. Also with the water rights being reduced the availability to drill a well going forward will also be more difficult as the county wants to reduce the number or wells in the valley. These zoning changes will drastically reduce the value of property owners land as developers will not develop in these proposed low density zoning areas, as the return on their investment would not justify the expense. On the flip side land within the city limits of Lancaster and Palmdale should show more value over time as they will have access to city services and far far better zoning opportunities today and going forward. It is clear that Los Angeles County doesn’t want Antelope Valley to look like San Fernando Valley. Some of the reasons the county gives for these proposed changes are that it protects environmental resources, enhances rural land character, minimizes natural hazard threats, creates an efficient use of the infrastructure and public facilities, and limits green house gases. We think it clearly reduces their tax revenue, and ends Los Angeles Counties growth curve as 49% of all the vacant undeveloped land is in Antelope Valley. The zoning changes are still within the proposal stages, but Los Angeles County has been trying to make these changes for years. Maps of the new zoning can be found via Los Angeles Regional Planning or contact us and we can show you where to get them.