Large Solar Power Facilities Underway on the West Side

This will take up 1191 gross acres bounded by Ave K, 80th Street West and 105th Street West down to the aqueduct. The first phase will be 104 acres from Ave K to Ave K-8 and between 90th Street West and 100th Street West. Then there will be another 600 acres from 95th Street West between K and L generally. They will follow up with another 322 acres between 80th and 90th West from Ave L to Quarry Ridge Road. The last phase is 95 acres from 80th to 85th West between L and L-8. This plan is being undertaken by sPower or Sustainable Power Group according to the City of Lancaster records. The city is changing the zoning from Specific plan and other zonings to RR 2.5. This will allow a 150 megawatt facility in the RR 2.5 zone. The Conditional Use Permits were adopted and approve in late July. There has been some building out there already, but large area encompasses a great deal of land and takes up a lot of APN 3248. It appears that the solar company has secured a great deal of this land already and applied for the permits with the City of Lancaster. So the adage buy land and wait has paid off for these long and even short term investors as a developer has come and is developing at the current extreme city limits of Lancaster. If your not familiar with the city of Lancaster then you have missed the solar gold rush. But the city of Lancaster and Palmdale (Antelope Valley) are situated in the most norther part of Los Angles County. This developing facility is about 8 to 10 miles west of Hwy 14 and just north of the aqueduct that runs via the the southern portion of Antelope Valley. Some of the solar panels are visible via google maps or aerial mapping. Stay tuned here for more news.

High Desert Corridor Hwy and Railway Has Completed its Environmental Report. Can this Boom the Far East Side of Antelope Valley?

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIS/EIR) for the High Desert Corridor is now available for public review according to the High Desert Corridor website. The final report was to be completed this spring 2015. The overall plan is to build a highway link from Hwy 14 in Los Angeles County to Hwy 18 in San Bernardino County. This potential toll road would cross Hwy 395 and Hwy 15 in Victorville area. The project is expected to cost $4 to $8 Billion. It seems that nothing is cheap in California. The reason to build it is that there is projected to be a great deal of growth in Palmdale, Lancaster, Apple Valley and Victorville in the future. While growth in LA proper may decrease. The project is expected to have a toll road which seems to be vital to the funding and a bike lane. The proposal also includes a potential light rail line or at least a connection to the Metro link, so a person can ride by train from Victorville to Downtown LA. There has been planning’s and meetings and a great deal of discussion on this proposed project. It would at minimum increase land sales along its proposed route which is the far east side of Antelope Valley and also land on the far west side of San Bernardino County. Currently land in these areas sells for under $1000 an acre and even $300 per acre. Check out the proposed route and contact us if you looking for low price land in this area. An interactive map of the project and other information can be viewed at No comments:

Problems with the Hyperloop

We continue our input on mass transit in Californian and the alternative to the currently approved High Speed Rail, which is only partially funded. Like issues with the Cal High Speed Rail and we are sure there were issues with the US highway system that was introduced in the 50’s. There are a few major issues that would have to be addresses with the Hyperloop. The Hyperloop will as all mass transit has land rights issues. Getting right of ways locally and regionally. That is an avenue that can be addressed if the system is more than a science project. There will certainly be environmental issues as any development has to address. Two big issues though may make it an unsound idea. If it proves to be sound as a prototype then practical issues would need to be overcome. The Cato Institute says a big one is how much energy the Hyperloop would require. The linear propulsion system and the air pressure pumps for the tubes would probably need much more energy than would be provided by the solar panels Musk proposes installing on the tubes and the energy recovery system he envisions having at the end of the route, said Roger Goodall, a maglev train expert and a professor of control systems engineering at the United Kingdom's Loughborough University. Another big issue is that the Hyperloop would have to go straight. If this vacuum tube runs at 800 miles per hour or more, then scientists say a human could not take a bend at that speed without deposited their lunch or breakfast on the seats or other passengers. The force of moving a human body at such speeds a few feet left or right or up and down over a hill maybe too much for a passenger. It is likely unrealistic to think you can have a straight shot from San Francisco to Los Angeles. There would have to be bends in the plan. If this can be overcome then maybe there is hope for a $20 one way ride, not including your car. But is there enough energy to do it with just solar? And will the development costs far exceed the construction costs. Things to consider.

Oar Fish washes up on California Shore and San Andreas Movie’s Debut?

New reports indicate an oar fish ran ashore off the California coast near Catalina Island. The movie San Andreas is about a major earthquake in California on the San Andreas Fault. So what do the two have to do with one another? Japanese legend says an oarfish coming ashore is an earthquake indicator. This folklore goes back centuries. News reports say this oarfish has no major injuries, so why did it come up from the deep. The Japanese myth has some science behind it. The oarfish is a deep water fish and it rarely if ever comes to the surface according to marine biologists. The oarfish comes ashore because he is sick or dying, or they feel tremor under the sea. So if an oarfish swims to the surface then you should run to the hills. Now this fish may actually be sick and if there is only one found ashore then it may just indicate this one needed a doctor. But if more come ashore then we need to ask the scientists if there are tremor readings in the Pacific. “ What science tell us about warnings from the earth. The Iquisitr news article quotes: When an earthquake occurs there can be a build-up of pressure in the rocks which can lead to electrostatic charges that cause electrically-charged ions to be released into the water,” Dr. Grant explained. “This can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which is a toxic compound. The charged ions can also oxidize organic matter which could either kill the fish or force them to leave the deep ocean and rise to the surface. The geophysical processes behind these kinds of sighting can happen before an earthquake.” The oarfish found on Catalina Island was sighted on Monday. As it just so happens, the USGS reports an earthquake occurred on Tuesday within the same general area, although it was centered further north within California. Coincidence? End Inquisitr article. So the earthquake may have already happened and in this case it only affected this fish and other not seen yet. But if you live in California and or you own real estate then earthquake have to be a concern. If you own land then it is less of a problem unless it is the “big one”. Either way it is something to pay attention to and it is great free press for the San Andreas movie.

California High-Speed Rail Authority Making Its Case in Developing the Route

The high speed rail authority is make a case for the rail system based on population projections of an increase in 12 million new inhabitants in the State by 2040. They propose that the rail system will be in place from San Francisco to Los Angeles by 2029. They have only started construction on the first 29 miles of the system began in January, and the will be building their first river crossing bridge over the Fresno River soon. An AV Press article stated from an event that the alignments for the two portions of the system going through the Antelope Valley Have not been determined. They do have a plan from Bakersfield over the Tehachapi Mountains, and from there into the northern end of Lancaster still needs to be determined. They did indicate they wanted to avoid the wind turbines and any mining so at least that is a hint. They said they will run along Sierra Highway, which is where the existing railroad track is located. According to the AVPress article: There are four major routes, plus a couple of sub-routes, being looked at between Palmdale and Burbank. The original proposals paralleled the Antelope Valley Freeway (Hwy 14) between Acton and Santa Clarita, but new alternatives include underground routes proposed to tunnel through the San Gabriel Mountains with the aim of avoiding opponents in the Acton area and the Santa Clarita Valley. And then there is the cost which is estimated to be $68 Billion. The rail authority’s case against this cost is that it will cost $158 Billion if they created new highways, expanding airports, and made new roads. So $68 Billion sounds like a bargain. It maybe a tough sell either way as the costs to do nothing will likely be congestion. If you own land along Sierra Hwy at some point you may get an offer letter, but it still maybe decades away as we don’t see a system in place by 2029 from SF to LA.

California landowners Say the Ground Water is Theirs

CNBC Recent article on water in California Most landowners in California say they own the water underneath their land, while others argue groundwater is a common resource. Now with the drought in California, there's a topic many private landowners remain steadfast about: Water well metering. Without a drought the water from rivers lakes and reservoirs is ample enough to supply roughly two thirds of state water each year. Now farmers and drillers are digging deeper for ground water. According to a CNBC article groundwater can account for half of total state water consumed in drought years. This is usually not an issue, but now with a drought groundwater is everyone’s issue. In rural areas in outside Bakersfield, Tulare County ground water is the main water for residents. The Sustainable Ground water Act requires local districts to measure and report details on regional groundwater amounts. It was signed by Gov. Brown last year. The laws guidelines implies rural communities will have to monitor ground water removal which means metering. The argument is that driller may drill 1000 feet below their land but they are also tapping the neighbor’s water peripherally. It is further argued that the landowners say I own the water beneath my land and that is it, and it is not illegal to drill for water. The State and regulator want to regulate with water acquisition and they say that land is sinking because water is being pull out from other areas. The landowners say if it is my water why do I have to report what I take from my land? The State says they need to regulate how much water is being withdrawn. If there wasn’t a drought then likely there would not be an argument. CNBC’s article further reports that while the groundwater law is a place to start, the regulation includes a timeline for implementation, with a target date of 2040. End article. This will most likely affect the rural areas of Antelope Valley as Los Angeles County has been in a law suit with land owners in the Valley regarding the water basin below. This may increase the value of city land where water will be furnished by city services. It more affects farmers and rural residents in Antelope Valley, but as Lancaster and Palmdale are in the High Desert water rationing will likely be a way of life.

Land Investment is an Ideal hedge Increased Federal Rising Interest Rates and Coming Inflation

The global central banks have been printing money as a means to stop the most recent financial crisis. The biggest three money printing central banks have been the Federal Reserve, Japan and the European Central Bank. Gold has diminished in value instead of increasing the last five years during the QE (Quantitative Easing) era. The US Federal Reserve has ended qualitative easing and will increase rates soon likely in months according to experts. Higher interest and all this money printing to avoid deflation will likely soon cause inflation. The US debt is so large that other countries may also move away from the dollar as the sole reserve currency. There are recent news reports that outline this. These factors will all lead to inflation, and likely very high inflation. Gold is usually a very popular investment to combat inflation as it appreciates in value against a currency during inflationary times. Real estate is also a great investment at any time, and it is even better during times of rising inflation. Real Estate housing prices will likely drop with higher interest rates as the cost to buy a home will be more. The limited availability of land and rising population growth will increase housing demand and hence real estate in general has the potential to beat inflation in the long term. A reason why land is a good inflation investment hedge is because it will not lose value to zero like a stock can. Land doesn’t go bankrupt If you buy land in cash then the value may go lower, but overall will have value if it was a decent purchase price in an area that will see growth with future development. It doesn’t mean all land has value. If a person overpaid for land then the value may take decades to generations to produce a return on investment. Precious metals like Gold and Silver can increase dramatically in inflationary periods so your investment can profit much more than land. But buy land at a good price and the investment can hold its value in inflation. You can also sell it as other may want it as their inflation hold in such an environment.