Las Lomas Developer Sues City

The developer of the 5,000-home Las Lomas project filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles alleging the City Council acted illegally in stopping its review of the project. In the 25-page complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Las Lomas Land Co. argued the council’s action in March violated state law and the constitutional right to due process, the Los Angeles Times reported. The company is asking the court to order the city to finish complex environmental studies for the 555-acre project. The suit also seeks more $100 million in damages, the Times reported. The council voted 10 to 5 to instruct the Planning Department to stop processing the application for the project slated for construction at the intersection of the Golden State (5) Freeway and the Antelope Valley Freeway. In a statement released June 17, Councilman Greig Smith predicted developer Dan Palmer stood little chance of succeeding with the legal action. The city exercised the authority given it by charter, Smith said of the council’s vote. “When any developer proposes a project they must assume all of the responsibility of financial risk,” Smith said. “This was by far one of the most risky projects ever proposed and is not even in the City of Los Angeles.”