Newhall Ranch Could Help the L.A. River

LOS ANGELES—The recent California Supreme Court decision on the Newhall Ranch development on the Santa Clarita River may help the burgeoning L.A. River project avoid the ongoing legal battles. The Newhall Ranch development has some similarities with the L.A. River project, namely that both projects are on a riverbank, which, for Newhall Ranch, has resulted in copious legal issues over the past 20 years. The court’s decision outlines the types of evidence required to prove CEQA compliance as well as other decisions unique to the riverside locations of both projects. According to Fernando Villa, a partner at Allen Matkins, the decision could provide a blueprint for the L.A. River projects and help them avoid CEQA lawsuits. To find out more about the potential parallels between the projects and how this court decision might apply to the L.A. River, we sat down with Villa for an exclusive interview.

GlobeSt.com: What are the key holdings in the Newhall Ranch decision that could apply to the L.A. River project?