The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors had already granted approval for the first two villages of the Newhall Ranch community in Santa Clarita Valley. However, it appears the developments will meet at least one more challenge before proceeding.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a petition was filed in LA Superior Court arguing that the Board of Supervisors shouldn’t have approved a revised environmental impact report or the permits for the two villages. The petition notes concerns around water quality, aquatic and river bank habitats, wildlife migration, greenhouse gas emissions, and a toll on Native American cultural resources in the area.

Courtesy of PlaceWorks

The developer originally filed an environmental impact report in 2011, but it would later fail to suffice. A 2016 revision was approved but this lawsuit claims that it did not take into account environmental changes in the area, including the statewide drought in California and the drastic local water table reduction. 

If it’s eventually completed, the Newhall Ranch villages — two of a proposed five —would add 21,500 units in Santa Clarita. That includes 5,500 homes and apartments, office space, elementary schools, a fire station, and a park-and-ride lot. Of those homes, 620 would be single-family lots.

The two villages would sit in the area between the Santa Clara River, Highway 126 and the Interstate 5 Freeway. Once the project is completed, 10 percent of the homes are set to be affordable housing.