As the attorney for the owner of the 35-acre parcel near the intersection of PCH and Trancas Canyon, I wish to correct the erroneous statements made by uninformed individuals which have appeared in the Times regarding the City’s settlement with Trancas-PCH (Trancas) relating to the future development of that property. The facts are as follows.
In 1985, after a full environmental review, the County approved two tract maps which permitted a total of 15 residences and 52 townhomes on the 35-acre parcel. In December 1986, in the Santa Monica Mountains-Malibu LCP, the Coastal Commission designated the property for multi-family residential use permitting a total of 113 units on the property. On three separate occasions, and over the objections of the City, the Coastal Commission approved the proposed development, finding it consistent with both the Coastal Act and CEQA. The City thereafter downzoned the property, contending that Trancas would have to comply with the new zoning designation, and contested the validity of the County Approved tract maps.
For the past 11 years, Trancas has been involved in litigation with the city, as well as for a portion of that time, the Trancas Property Owners Association (TPOA), contending that the County approved tract maps are valid and down zoning inapplicable. Last year, the city and Trancas agreed to settle the dispute. Trancas agreed, at the insistence of the City Council, to eliminate the 15 single family lots, and construct a total of 32 detached townhomes, a maximum of 2400 square feet each, over eight and a half acres, leaving the remaining 26 1/2 acres of the property as open space and/or future recreational use.
My clients agreed to this settlement, not because they believed that their tract maps to have expired, but rather because they were tired of the continuing litigation. The City agreed in a reasonable manner. Unfortunately, TPOA did not, and filed litigation against the City and Trancas contending the settlement was invalid. Earlier this month, the trial court ruled against TPOA, finding Trancas’ tract maps valid, and the settlement consistent with both CEQA and the Brown Act.
Themisrepresentation and name calling should stop, and the facts should be set forth correctly.
Alan Robert Block
Attorney to Trancas-PCH, LLC