A planned 3,600-home expansion in Valencia is facing a new hurdle after two environmental groups appealed Los Angeles County's approval of the project. The dispute also reflects a broader tension between adding much-needed housing and ensuring that large developments are safe, resilient, and thoroughly reviewed before construction proceeds.
Here's what to know
The appeal followed a unanimous July 29 vote by the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission to approve Homestead South. According to The Signal, the challenge was filed by the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment and Friends of the Santa Clara River.
Homestead South is part of the FivePoint Valencia project, which traces back to the Newhall Ranch plan adopted in 2003. The Signal reported that the site has The Old Road to the east and State Route 126 to the north, and that the proposal includes multifamily housing, single-family lots, and 362 affordable units, or about 10% of the homes.
Their 13-page filing says the county should prepare a new environmental impact report, or EIR, before allowing the project to proceed. The groups point to wildfire evacuation, climate-related hazards, endangered species protections, and the underground trash fire at nearby Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
The appeal also says the public has had limited chances to weigh in on the project, noting that there have been no official community meetings since 2014.
More background
New housing can help ease pressure in an expensive region, but opponents argue that skipping an updated environmental review could leave nearby communities coping with unsafe evacuation routes, worse air quality, or added strain on local infrastructure.
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A central argument from the groups is that the assumptions behind earlier planning work are no longer current. They wrote, "Now, 12 years later and many changed circumstances, the L.A. County Planning (Department) found that an EIR is no longer needed in spite of many changed circumstances and increased development projects far beyond what the 2012 General Plan anticipated due to state-mandated densification."
The project site sits on the opposite side of the Santa Clara River from Chiquita Canyon Landfill, where The Signal reported an active 90-acre underground fire — an issue that has raised questions about air quality and waste.
At the same time, some nearby residents spoke in support of the project during public comment, saying the area's master-planned design has improved their quality of life.
What's being done?
The matter moves to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, where county leaders will decide whether to uphold the approval or require further environmental review.
Environmental advocates are urging the county to take a closer look at issues they say deserve deeper scrutiny, including fire safety, endangered species protections, and climate analysis that was not required when the larger plan was approved in 2003.
FivePoint has said earlier studies addressed habitat and infrastructure concerns. County staff also told commissioners that a denial would require evidence of a "specific adverse impact on public health or safety, and no feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate any significant impact."
County planning materials also say: "(The) Newhall Ranch Specific Plan considers the changes in society and the economy that may occur over the 25-year buildout of the community."
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