Building Moratoriums

Claiming it did not want to influence ongoing negotiations or a November ballot proposition concerning Laguna Canyon, a state Court of Appeal panel in Santa Ana postponed until January a case challenging the proposed Laguna Laurel development. Two environmental groups, Laguna Greenbelt Inc. and Laguna Canyon Conservancy, are appealing an earlier Superior Court ruling upholding the development agreement between Orange County and the Irvine Co.

The pristine, 2,150-acre parcel of land in Laguna Canyon earmarked for development by the Irvine Co. has been valued at $105 million, a spokesman for officials involved in purchase negotiations revealed Monday evening. But negotiators declined to release the terms of the Irvine Co.'s latest sales offer or say whether it is significantly below the fair market value.

The city of Laguna Niguel will appeal a recent court decision that lifted a building moratorium on property once slated for parkland. After hours of closed-session discussions over the past 10 days, the City Council decided Tuesday to appeal the ruling. The moratorium had stopped the construction of at least 65 homes in the Marina Hills development.

Despite the concerns of residents about burgeoning construction in areas north of Lincoln Avenue, the City Council this week refused their suggestion to freeze development in those areas. Residents in neighborhoods north of Lincoln Avenue and west of Moody Street approached the council about a building moratorium following the approval of two apartment complex proposals last month. Their complaints concerned traffic congestion, parking problems and the strain on water and sewer systems.

In a move criticized as a "direct attack" on local growth controls, the Assembly passed legislation Tuesday that would give developers automatic extensions on building permits when citizens approve slow-growth initiatives. The bill, by Sen. Jim Ellis (R-San Diego), would also grant the nine-month permit extensions to builders adversely affected by growth-limiting laws passed by city councils or county boards of supervisors.

The political issue of growth dominated key city elections Tuesday from Santa Monica Bay to the San Gabriel Valley as voters decided on their municipal leadership. Voters went to the polls in 58 of the county's 85 cities to elect city council members and decide initiatives. In San Gabriel, three slow-growth candidates were elected, with James Castaneda getting the most votes.

The Los Angeles City Council planning committee gave its approval Tuesday to plans by Mayor Tom Bradley to temporarily limit new building to protect sewers from overflows. However, the plan has been changed significantly since Bradley proposed it last December, and the final version is likely to be haggled out before the full council next week. A competing measure by City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky may also be considered.

It was a gutsy act for a city only 357 days old. Besieged by complaints of congested streets and crowded classrooms, the Santa Clarita City Council decided to sue Los Angeles County to stop growth around the city--at least until schools, roads and other services can catch up. After the vote Dec. 8, the audience in the council chambers broke into applause. "It's kind of like David and Goliath," said one delighted resident.

An initiative calling for a two-year moratorium on major commercial and residential development in Pasadena has narrowly qualified for the ballot. City Clerk Pamela Swift said Monday that the initiative petition was signed by 6,322 registered voters, just 10 more than the minimum needed to qualify it for a citywide vote. An initiative petition must be signed by at least 10% of a city's registered voters. The initiative, sponsored by the Northeast Pasadena Residents Assn.