Palmdale Ca Development And Redevelopment

The Palmdale Planning Commission has recommended approval of the 7,200-home, 10,625-acre Ritter Ranch project, the largest proposed development in the city's history and one of the largest envisioned in Southern California. The Planning Commission's decision about 1 a.m. Thursday followed 10 meetings spanning three months and sends the project to the City Council. A council hearing on the development was set for Thursday night, but no decision was expected.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to transfer 20 unimproved acres of county property to Palmdale for a city park. The property, which was the site of the proposed Tejon County Park, was annexed by Palmdale in 1989. The Palmdale City Council plans to develop the property as a park and playground. The rectangular site is located near Sierra Highway and Barrel Springs Road, a few blocks east of Lake Palmdale.

The City Council has approved a non-binding agreement supporting the construction of a new community college campus on a 100-acre site just east of the city. In a unanimous vote late Wednesday, the council resolved to expedite the land annexation and the processing of plans to construct the college, along with an adjacent housing and commercial development. City officials said it is too early to determine the traffic impact and increased demand for city services a college campus might create.

Facing a March 31 deadline, Palmdale officials are scrambling to assemble and approve the final documents needed to merge three of the city's four redevelopment areas, a move that city officials say could generate $200 million for improvement projects. The proposed merger has triggered concern among some residents in these areas, who fear the city will seize their property for an urban renewal project or impose new taxes.

Property foreclosures are nothing new in Palmdale, where the real estate recession has been lengthy and severe, but Wednesday's dwarfed all others. The foreclosure was against Ritter Ranch Co., the group behind what was potentially one of the largest housing developments in the state. Ritter Ranch was to be a planned community for 20,000 people located on the fringe of Palmdale. But before a single house was built, the project became mired in debt.

Fitch Investors Service, a bond-rating agency, said it has downgraded $32.2 million of mortgage bonds issued by the Palmdale Community Redevelopment Agency to A-plus from AA. However, the A-plus rating means Fitch still views the bonds as relatively low-risk, "investment grade" securities. The 30-year bonds, issued in two series in 1986, are backed by single-family mortgages on houses in Palmdale and certain investments.

Palmdale filed foreclosure lawsuits this week against the developer of the city's troubled auto mall and two other property owners, seeking to collect its share of more than $3.5 million in delinquent assessments owed on land in the area. The lawsuits, authorized by the City Council in May, were filed against the Antelope Valley Auto Center, which owns the undeveloped land within the mall; Paul and Thelma Grubl, who built a BMW dealership that never opened, and Normandy Properties.

Contending that they simply want to protect the region's ground-water supply, the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency filed a lawsuit Monday against the city of Palmdale. The suit stems from the city's plans for a massive flood-control and road-widening project that would allow the development of thousands of homes, including the 7,200-home Ritter Ranch, in west Palmdale. "We have no ulterior motive in this; we're not trying to stop the project," said Michael T.

A Los Angeles judge Thursday upheld a $15.2-million jury verdict--and added $1.4 million in legal fees--in favor of a development company that complained that it was prevented from building a bowling alley in Palmdale by bowling giant Brunswick Corp., the company's attorney said. U. S. District Court Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer rejected Brunswick's motion, asking her to set aside the May antitrust damages awarded by the jury to the Los Angeles Land Co.