Antelope Valley Weed Abatement Notice and the Responsibility to the Vacant Land Investor

Los Angeles County via the Dept. of Agricultural Commissioner Weights and Measures has increased its Annual Weed Abatement Notices. There have been a number of properties in Lancaster and Palmdale California which have gotten this notice for the first time. The Abatement Notice levied to properties when an abundant amount of weeds, brush, neglected vegetation or trash has accumulated on properties. This includes homes and vacant lots. In addition, properties were sited if these weeds are located near a house or structure as they create potential fire hazards to all homes. Specifically in Antelope Valley there is a special notice. If your property has a large amount of tumbleweeds, which can roll onto roads, damage agriculture crops or build up near homes and fences then your property can be sited. If you are sited then the responsibility of the property owner is to clear the dry weeds or brush within one hundred to two hundred feet from a home or structure, and ten feet from a road.

Some owners are getting this notice and they do not have an abundant amount of weeds on the property. It is because of the special information regarding tumbleweeds. Because of environmental factors, inspections and abatement of the current season’s growth of tumbleweeds on parcels in the Antelope Valley will not begin until Oct of 2010. We surmise the Department of Agriculture will wait until the end of the summer season to see if tumbleweeds have rolled onto your property.

There have been hearings in late February for property owners who wish to present objections to their notice. After April 1, 2010 the County will be inspecting properties for excessive weeds and brush. If property owners have not inspected their parcels and cleared bush per the notice then the county will begin enforcement of the notice and clear excessive weeds, and the cost of the county abatement will be assessed to the property tax bill. If the property owner has not cleared the property themselves by March 15, 2010 then the county abatement team is on its way. The county has already assessed an inspection fee of $45 even if the property owner cleared the brush themselves. If the county hires independent firms to enforce the notice then the abatement fee will be much more expensive then if the property owner were to maintain their own parcel. In addition, if you received the notice and sold the property then the sited property owner will be liable for the assessed abatement fees, and not the new owner.

These abatement notices may increase over the years as Antelope Valley grows, so it is important to view your property periodically and maintain any debris and vegetation. The debris issue is a separate issue as people have used remote parts of the valley as a private dump. The land investor has less issues then the home investor but still must invest with responsibility.

Los Angeles County Attracts Another Renewable Energy Project As Antelope Valley and Agricultural Land Benefit with the Development

Another Solar company is taking up roots in Antelope Valley. Tuusso Energy headquartered in Seattle Washington with a medium size project, which can power up to 15 thousand homes and connects directly to existing transmission lines. The proposed location is on LA County land and it is a rectangle shaped area at 100th Street West running north to south from Ave H to approximately Ave I-8. This area is just south of the community of Antelope Acres, and it is just north of Edison power lines that cris-cross the western valley. Their technology uses photovoltaic panels which look very similar to rooftop panels. The benefits with photovoltaic’s are that they use a limited amount of water and they are low profile as they stand just a few feet above the ground.

Tuusso’s project proposal has been underway for a year and they are currently conducting environmental studies with Los Angeles County and local government agencies. As part of the environmental impact, they have targeted dormant agricultural land away from any current major development. It is not known if this land has been previously disturbed land, or simply vacant agricultural land. The environmental impact may be the biggest hurdle to overcome as the State and local governments are favorable to renewable energy projects, but environmentalists prefer limited change. The production is expected to begin later this year and run through early 2011. Lancaster Ca. has proposed a number of zoning changes within the city limits to entice alternative energy projects within its boundaries, so many more projects are sure to arise.

This is the fourth and separately planned renewable energy project on LA County land in the Antelope Valley. It is sure to change the landscape dramatically, but change for the valley will be good for the economy and community. The agricultural land targeted is a big bonanza for the long-term land banker. This area was vacant land for decades caught between power lines, and a pocket of custom homes. It further highlights that agricultural zoned pre-developed land provides a great investment opportunity. These Solar Companies are capturing lower real estate prices during this downturn, and it is a good time for new investors to take advantage of this land banking opportunity also.

The City of Lancaster California is Proposing Land Development Changes to Establish Three Separate Mixed Use Zones

The City of Lancaster, Ca. Planning Department is forwarding new recommendations in conjunction with their 2030 General Plan. The focal point of their recent meeting is to draft new zoning changes for the city, and to incorporate several mixed use proposals. The City of Lancaster, Ca. currently doesn’t have mixed use development, while cohabitating residential and commercial zoning has been implemented in numerous cities across America. A typical mixed use would be street level retail shops on main roads with single family or multiple family dwellings above. Most of Lancaster Ca. has been single family dwellings in proximity to commercial buildings. It has been a typical small town growing without the future planning of the needs of the community. It’s a sort of plan as you grow, instead of planning growth. The mixed use proposal will make Lancaster look more like Orange County’s growth and development, which has been the new normal.

The three proposed mixed use zonings will be Mixed Use-Neighborhood (MU-N), Mixed Use-Commercial (MU-C), and Mixed Use-Employment (MU-E). The mixed use neighborhood zone would incorporate residential housing in close proximity to commercial, offices and services. It would include multi-family housing, such as apartments and condominiums, small-lot single-family subdivisions, and smaller commercial and office space. The streets patterns would allow better traffic flow, and it would offer pedestrian connections, community space with trails and neighborhood parks.

The mixed use commercial would integrate residential and commercial space together. The commercial space would most likely be along major artery streets, with modern landscaping. It will also have multi-storied buildings which must contribute to the areas surroundings. The third zoning change proposal is mixed use employment. This zone is intended to provide an area for non-retail employment in close proximity to residential housing. It would likely include multi-family residential dwellings with office professional, business parks, and some light industrial uses. This zone is not intended for heavier industrial uses.

The two major target areas for this new zoning will be south of Ave H from 20th to 40th Street West, and also along Sierra Hwy and Division south of Ave I. As the city grows so does the opportunity for land investors. We think this is a very positive step toward the future for land buyers in Antelope Valley. Most of these areas are currently vacant land parcels, but it will be a future location for a developer. Many large chain stores wish to locate their business near residential neighborhoods as it has been part of their business model. Land prices today are far less then they were just three years ago, so this is a good time to look at vacant land deals in Antelope Valley.

Los Angeles County Lands Best Renewable Sustainable Project with a Patented Solar Complex built on Pre-Developed Industrial Land

Power Engineering magazine announced this past December the selection of E-Solar’s Sierra SunTower facility as the winner of "Best Renewable and Sustainable Project" at the 2009 Projects of the Year Awards. This is an annual award where Power Engineering magazine recognizes the world's best projects in the four major categories, gas-fired, coal-fired, nuclear and renewable. The new solar power facility is the first of its kind in California.

E-Solar unveiled Sierra SunTower, which is their 5 MW commercial-scale solar power plant, in August 2009. It is located just 60 miles north of downtown Los Angeles in Lancaster California. The solar complex runs along Avenue G in the northern part of the city. This renewable energy facility captures the suns energy to produce super-heated steam with an average operating temperature of 800°F at a pressure of 900 psi, which it delivers through a turbine generator to Southern California Edison. Their patented technology uses Pre-fabricated modular units that are scalable to fit smaller or larger parcels of land to suit their power client’s requirements. This project was developed on a small parcel of land close to existing transmission lines, and it is the first of several planned in Antelope Valley, California.

This is one part of the City of Lancaster’s 2030 General Plan to create fertile ground for renewable energy projects. The planning department has approved of thousands of additional acres of heavy and light industrial land as a target area for these types of projects. They plan to further expand this area by amending the zoning to absorb rural residential and agricultural zoned land for heavy industrial use. This would be the largest expansion of Los Angeles County land into city zoning in decades. It is also one of the best means for a land investor to get a rapid return on their investment.

It is paramount for land investors and land bankers to buy land near developing areas such as Lancaster and Palmdale California. The closer you are to development the more likely development will reach your parcel. In many cases the initial investment can be more, but the return on investment could be shorter term. We have spoken to vacant land owners who purchased remote desert land far from development and they are unfortunately still holding decades after their initial investment. Don’t let it happen to you, as the real estate slogan goes location, location, location also applies to pre-developed land.

City Of Lancaster Proposing New Zoning Changes As Part of the 2030 General Plan

The City of Lancaster has proposed zoning changes throughout the city limits. Some target areas will be the area south of Avenue G to H which has been proposed to be heavy industrial and it will run from Hwy 14 east to Division and then it will run south of H along Sierra Hwy to Ave I. There will also be almost a square mile of light industrial from Hwy 14 west to 20th West from H to I. They also target great deal of light and heavy industrial from Hwy 14 east to Challenger within avenues L to M. The industrial zoning changes are designed for Solar and Wind Energy firms to entice them to locate within the city of Lancaster. There will also be more R-7000 and R-10,000 residential from Ave I south and Hwy 14 to 70th Street West. A good amount of this area has been RR 2.5 only allowing 1 home per 2 acres, but with R-7000 zoning developers can build track homes of one house per 7000 square feet. In addition, the land surrounding the County Jail and Hospital at West Ave I and J will be virtually surrounded by light industrial zoning and commercial at 50th W at J.

This new zoning draft review took place Feb. 16th at the Lancaster Planning Commission meeting. It is part of the City of Lancaster 2030 General Plan. Another part of the proposal is for mixed used (MU) zoning adopted as part of the overall plan. A large portion of this proposed mixed use will be from 20th to 35th West and from H to I. The public will be allowed to review the draft proposal and the earliest the mixed use zoning can be adopted would be April of this year.
These proposed changes can really change the value of land especially land that is changed from RR 2.5 to R-7000 or R-10,000.
The City of Lancaster seems to be progressive and aggressively toward business growth, which can produce a vibrant economy for the cities future.
We will keep you updated as the plans progress, so stay tuned to our reports.

Los Angeles County Rural land Soon to become a Race Track?

The proposed racetrack is approaching the finish line. The Fairmont Butte Motor Sports Park (fairmontbuttemotorsportspark.com) has been proposed on 320 acres of land at 150th Street West at Hwy 138. The property owner and founder is Thomas E. Malloy. The Los Angeles County planning commission recently recommended the project at the September 2009 meeting. There are several more hurdles to jump, but the meeting this coming Saturday February 6th at the Lancaster Regional Library may go a long way to making this project a reality.

The proposed track is situated on privately owned land in Antelope Valley. Most of this area is vacant unused land or farmland in the remote area west of Lancaster, Ca. The track will be open to the public with no memberships required. The plan is not for commercial use, but for private motor car enthusiasts, car clubs, and racing organizations. The track will carve around Fairmont Butte just west of the poppy preserve.

The plans indicate that the racetrack would only use 140 of the available acreage and operate only during the daytime, and there would be no grandstands, allowing for only a few spectators. Racing would only take place on weekends and on occasional Fridays. The main obstructions that may upend the proposal are environmental issues. The few nearby residents could be exposed to excessive noise once it is up and running. It could also affect the area's wildlife, which includes lizards, badgers and burrowing owls, and it will be only a mile from the state protected wildflower poppy preserve. Environmentalists also indicated this area is also home to seasonal wildflowers, California buckwheat scrub and purple needle grass typically grow there. The racetrack group indicates that they will minimized these environmental issues by restricting noise, limiting racing and traffic and independent studies show that while there will be some impact to habitat, there would be no impact to wildlife movement or to the Poppy Reserve. In addition, the Fairmont Butte offers a natural barrier to noise and helps maintain the areas natural beauty.

There are also several Solar power companies forwarding proposals to develop this area, so the terrain will likely change rapidly in the coming years. Most private land owners and investors have looked for development and changes in this primarily rural vacant land. Property prices will likely increase in the coming years due to the coming growth, and we will keep you informed to these developments.

How Mitigation Can Benefit the Vacant land Investor and the Environment

Environmental mitigation describes projects or programs which are intended to offset development impacts to an existing natural resource like wetlands, endangered species, rivers and streams. Environmental mitigation is typically a part of an environmental crediting system established by governing bodies like the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) which allocates debits and credits. It is similar to the government proposed cap and trade system to offset global warming. A debit to the environment would occur when a housing developer, or Wind and Solar Company plans to develop land for commercial purposes. A debit occurs when a natural resource has been destroyed or severely impaired, while a credit is given when a natural resource has been deemed to be improved or preserved. So, when a business or individual has a debit to the environment then they are required to purchase a credit. There is also mitigation banking which is typically created in advance for multiple commercial parties when compensation credits cannot be achieved at the development site. Mitigation is a friendlier alternative to restrictive environmental laws, since development can proceed in exchange for compensation to preserve or repair a natural environment. Mitigation can also be beneficial to land owners, since some land like wash land or mountain land is not developable, but it is more suitable for mitigation. This increases the value of some non-developable land miles from development.
In Northern Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County some renewable energy companies may be required to purchase mitigation land if their projects are on BLM or other undisturbed land, which may encroach within prime desert tortoise and Mojave ground squirrel territories. The desert tortoise roams much of the desert in San Bernardino County, which will curtail any development within their habitat. Much of this land is privately owned, and may be designated as mitigation land by the government. The Solar Farm developers may be forced to buy endangered species land before a building permit is issued. This is another example where land banking is beneficial to the long term investor. Many investors think that their property will primarily increase in value due to urban development upon their property, but in this case virtually worthless desert land becomes a needed commodity to the technological advances of solar energy companies. The new growth in Antelope Valley and San Bernardino Counties is increasingly becoming green energy development, and the wise patient land investor can benefit and preserve the environment at the same time.