The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires agencies to identify the significant environmental effects of certain actions, and directs them to take steps to avoid or mitigate those effects. The legislation applies to activities undertaken by state and local public agencies related to projects which cause direct physical changes in the environment. Nearly all development plans in California are subject to CEQA. Disputes between developers and residents often arise over what kinds of land development issues must be addressed by CEQA.
In a recent case, claimants opposed a project because it was contrary to the “community character” of the area in which they lived. In Poway, California, otherwise known as the “City in the Country,” an owner and operator of a horse boarding facility decided to shut down his facility and use the property for residential housing. The subdivision plan was fervently opposed by community members who argued that the project would destroy the rural nature of the community and its reputation as a horse-friendly environment.
A local activist group brought an action against the landowner under the theory that replacing a horse facility with housing would cause on adverse impact on the “community character” of the town and therefore violated CEQA. The trial court agreed with the group and rejected the project. The court required the preparation of an EIR to further evaluate the effect of the development plan on Poway.
On appeal however, the Court overturned the ruling and defined the scope of CEQA in addressing the character of a community to the extent a development impacts “aesthetic” concerns. Some courts have found that CEQA can be applied to a project because of its impact on the aesthetics of the environment; thus, the court agreed to look at the development plan in Poway under this criteria. In doing so, the court concluded that the impact of the development project was not inherently aesthetic, but rather was social and psychological in nature. The social and psychological impacts (such as bringing families together and providing a valuable activity for kids) on community character was not suitable for environmental analysis under CEQA.
Contact Shane Coons at 949-333-0900 or visit his website at www.ShaneCoonsLaw.com to find out more about his practice.