Judge Rules Against Development Foes
Foes of the Ahmanson Ranch development lost another legal round Wednesday when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge disagreed with their contention that more than 7,600 acres of parkland near the massive project had not been tested for contamination.
As part of the deal to develop 3,050 homes along Ventura County’s eastern border, three parcels of land were declared public open space.
Ahmanson opponent Save Open Space had accused the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority of violating the California Environmental Quality Act when the authority accepted the land.
Specifically, Save Open Space contended that the agencies failed to test the land for contamination from the nearby Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory.
The dedicated parkland consists of 339 acres located in Corral Canyon, 2,633 acres located in upper Las Virgenes Canyon and the 4,600-acre Runkle Ranch. The transfer of the parcels creates a stretch of virgin land running from Los Angeles County into Ventura County and spreading from the coast to the mountains.
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