The Environmental Defense Center is doing all it can to protect Lompoc’s broccoli, lettuce, artichokes, and celery. Well, sort of. On Nov. 19, the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit law firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) alleging the city of Lompoc violated state guidelines when it approved the Environmental Impact Report for the city’s 2030 General Plan.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires state and local government to follow strict protocols when analyzing and reporting the environmental impacts of various building developments.
The city recently approved the EIR for the plan, including an expansion of Bailey Avenue, located on the west side of town. The project, which has received criticism from both environmental groups, would rezone 270 acres of land from agricultural to urbanized development, allowing for the construction of approximately 2,700 homes and more than 200,000 square feet of commercial space.
According to the Environmental Defense Center, the Bailey Avenue area lies within some of the most productive agricultural land in the state, currently farmed largely for lucrative row food crops, including broccoli, lettuce, artichokes, and celery.
“The city not only ignored long-standing agricultural protection policies in its own General Plan, but also voted against the desire of its citizens who have fought the expansion of the city into this area for more than a decade” Joyce Howerton, former mayor of Lompoc and a representative for SBCAN, said in a statement to the media.
Linda Krop, chief counsel for the Environmental Defense Center, said the lawsuit focuses on two concerns: first, that approval of the Bailey Avenue proposal would create a precedent in the county of using annexation as a means to sell and develop valuable farmland.
“The EIR findings basically state that it would be environmentally preferable to transform the land to urban development, which doesn’t make any sense and isn’t based on anything factual,” Krop said.
SBCAN also feels the EIR findings insufficiently address the overall impact of future greenhouse gas admissions.
The Environmental Defense Center is stating that its client believes the lawsuit is necessary in assuring a lawful 2030 General Plan Update within the 30-day statute of limitations created under CEQA guidelines.
A Lompoc city employee told the Sun that the city attorney hadn’t yet received the lawsuit, but “is aware that it’s coming.”
No one at the City Attorney’s Office was available for further comment as of press time.
This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 2, 2010.
