Several New Applicant Proposals were recently submitted for Single Family Homes in Lancaster Recently Reviewed.

A Tentative Tract Map has been proposed on 73 acres at the southwest corner of 52nd Street West and Avenue K-8 Request: It is a proposed subdivision of 238 single family lots on R-7000 zoned land. There will be 128 lots within the R-7,000 Zone, 89 lots within the R-10,000 Zone, and 21 lots within the R-15,000 Zone. There is another Tentative Parcel Map for a property west of 55th Street West. The property owners are requesting the subdivision for the property east of 55th Street West into two parcels. The parcel owners wish to create a tract map and then sell the parcels to a developer. Further there is a proposal for 30 gross acres located on the northeast corner of Lancaster Blvd and 37th Street East. The request is for a subdivision of 129 single-family lots in the R-7,000 and R-10,000 Zones Also another 15 acres located on the southeast corner of Avenue K and future 57th Street West by the same firm. The request is for a subdivision of 58 single-family lots in the R-7,000 Zone. Additionally, another 28 acres located on the northwest corner of future 35th Street East and Avenue J into a subdivision of 114 single-family lots of R-7,000 Zoned lots.

Several Multiple Housing Tract Maps recently approved and extended in Lancaster

A recent planning commission meeting extended tentative tract map approval for a couple of investment firms. 64 acres at 80th West and Ave L was approved for a 60 day extension. The subdivision is for 204 homes zoned R-10,000. There was another 42 acre plot approved for a 60 day extension 40th Street West at H-8. This is approving 156 homes of R-7000 zoning. Another firm was approved for 66 home on R-10,000 zoning at 35th Street West at K-4. The same firm is getting another 39 home approved near this parcel. Another 40 acre parcel at 15th East at H-8 was approved for a 60 day extension on 151 homes also zoned R-7000. These extensions are currently only approving the tract map, so building doesn’t appear to be around the corner, but it looks positive that these firms are moving their plans forward for future housing development. It these all move forward then that is at least 550 new homes on the horizon. This will certainly put a dent in housing inventory. Stay tuned for future updates on these new developments.

Large Solar Power Facilities Underway on the West Side

This will take up 1191 gross acres bounded by Ave K, 80th Street West and 105th Street West down to the aqueduct. The first phase will be 104 acres from Ave K to Ave K-8 and between 90th Street West and 100th Street West. Then there will be another 600 acres from 95th Street West between K and L generally. They will follow up with another 322 acres between 80th and 90th West from Ave L to Quarry Ridge Road. The last phase is 95 acres from 80th to 85th West between L and L-8. This plan is being undertaken by sPower or Sustainable Power Group according to the City of Lancaster records. The city is changing the zoning from Specific plan and other zonings to RR 2.5. This will allow a 150 megawatt facility in the RR 2.5 zone. The Conditional Use Permits were adopted and approve in late July. There has been some building out there already, but large area encompasses a great deal of land and takes up a lot of APN 3248. It appears that the solar company has secured a great deal of this land already and applied for the permits with the City of Lancaster. So the adage buy land and wait has paid off for these long and even short term investors as a developer has come and is developing at the current extreme city limits of Lancaster. If your not familiar with the city of Lancaster then you have missed the solar gold rush. But the city of Lancaster and Palmdale (Antelope Valley) are situated in the most norther part of Los Angles County. This developing facility is about 8 to 10 miles west of Hwy 14 and just north of the aqueduct that runs via the the southern portion of Antelope Valley. Some of the solar panels are visible via google maps or aerial mapping. Stay tuned here for more news.

AV College ready to sell 5 acres across from campus

Article from AV Press-The Antelope Valley College is putting up for sale five acres at 30th Street West and Avenue K that now is a vacant lot covered with California juniper bushes but which once was to get the college $1.25 million and be turned into a shopping center - before the "Great Recession" intervened. Under state law, the college first must offer the land to another government agency or a charity at fair market value, which the college is not disclosing, before it could be sold to a shopping center developer or other private buyer. "We've had several indications of interest," Antelope Valley College President Edward Knudson said Wednesday. "We couldn't act on it because we have to go through this process." Owned by the college for decades at the southwest corner of the intersection, across the street from the campus, the land once was described as an environmental study area, then was offered in the late 1980s as a potential site for a performing arts center. Posted there now is a real estate sales company's sign advertising "retail center coming soon." Lancaster officials in 2009 agreed to use the city's redevelopment agency as an intermediary, buying the property from the college for $1.25 million and selling it at the same price to a Newport Beach-based developer that planned to build a shopping center with 35,000 square feet of business space, including a restaurant. But the sale never took place, and college officials have declared the land is surplus to the college's needs, Knudson said. "I think because of the recession and the business climate, the developer or developers was not able to complete the work," Knudson said. College officials expect that whatever is built at the corner will be compatible with nearby neighborhoods, college students and traffic, he said. The property has a zoning designation of Commercial - Planned Development, which means any project proposed there must undergo a public hearing before the Lancaster planning commission and receive a permit setting conditions for its development, City Manager Mark Bozigian said. Any government agency or nonprofit organization interested in buying the land for fair market value must notify the college by Aug. 26, records show. If none does, the college can move forward with putting the land up for sale to private buyers, Knudson said. The property up for sale at the southwest corner of Avenue K and 30th Street West is different from the controversial site of a separate proposal at the intersection's southeast corner. Neighbors objected to the 8-acre project proposed at the southeast corner by J.P. Eliopulos Enterprises of Lancaster.

EIR (Environmental Impact Report) is Under Way for Thousands of Future Solar Acres of Land in Lancaster and Los Angeles County

The Lancaster City officials recently authorized an environmental impact report on a proposal to install solar panels on 1,350 to 1,500 acres in west Lancaster. The Sustainable Power Group (sPower) (formerly Silverado Power, LLC) has filed a conditional use permit (CUP 14-10) for the development of 250 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic solar Power on approximately 1,500 acres. Due to the size of the proposed project, the preparation of an EIR is required as part of the approval process. Lancaster Planning Dept. on May 27, 2014 had a request for proposals (RFP) for the preparation of an EIR for the proposed project was sent out for consideration to 12 environmental consulting firms. Seven proposals were submitted to the City by the deadline of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, 2014. Staff and the developer have reviewed the consultant proposals, and staff is recommending that the City retain the services of Stantec to prepare the EIR. Stantec will prepare the environmental impact report at a cost of more than $246,000. The cost would be paid by the Sustainable Power Group, which also would be required to pay a $25,000 deposit to cover city administrative costs. A recent article by the AV Press indicated that the 250-megawatt project is the largest ever proposed within city limits, though other larger solar plants have been approved elsewhere in the Antelope Valley. The planned solar area is generally bounded by 80th and 105th streets west, Columbia Way (Avenue M) and Avenue K-4. Just last month sPower Group received approval from Los Angeles County planners for six solar power fields proposed to cover nearly 1,000 acres around Antelope Acres and west of Lancaster. This 1500 acre Lancaster Solar Project is similar to the Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One which was approved for 230 megawatts on 2,100 acres at Avenue D and 170th Street West. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett's has a 579-megawatt Solar Star development is 3,230 acres straddling the Kern County-Los Angeles County line between 110th and 190th streets west. The Silverado Power/Sustainable Power Group projects approved last month by the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission are proposed on Avenue B east of 110th Street West (20 megawatts, 240 acres), Avenue K west of 110th Street West (40 megawatts, 157 acres), Avenue G west of 70th Street West (35 megawatts, 135 acres), Avenue I west of 112th Street West (20 megawatts, 160 acres), Avenue D at 35th Street West (5 megawatts, 38 acres), and between avenues J to H-8 between 85th and 97th streets west (52 megawatts, 256 acres). In giving their approval, county planners attached a condition to the project at Avenue J and 85th Street West that requires the developer to provide an air filtration system for the adjacent Summerhaven Ranch All-Nations Retreat Center prior to construction. A condition was added to the project on Avenue K west of 110th Street West that requires the developer to dedicate one-third of the site as permanent open space. The Antelope Valley is quickly becoming the Solar Capital of the US. This bodes well for land owners on Lancaster’s West side. Buy land and wait still holds true in Los Angeles County.

Sunlight Partners Gets Initial Approval for Photovoltaic Solar Site at 40th Street East at K-8

The Lancaster Planning Commission minutes from their recent meeting indicate that Sunlight Partners is requesting a conditional use permit for the construction and operation of a photovoltaic solar electric energy generating facility in the Rural Residential Zone. The proposed project consists of rows of PV panels on single axis trackers which would generate approximately 1.5 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The City of Lancaster has determined that the development and use of alternative energy is beneficial to the community, and this determination is evident in the decisions made by the City Council. The City Council has implemented several solar and wind energy programs thus far and they are working to install solar panels on City facilities. Additionally, the City’s General Plan has several policies pertaining to alternative energy. These objectives address the need to develop new sources of energy, as well as reduce energy consumption, and it is consistent with the City’s goals according to the Commission.

The project site is currently vacant and zoned SRR (Semi Rural Residential). However, the City’s zoning code does not permit the development of commercial-style solar energy facilities under the current SRR zoning; therefore, rezoning of the site to RR-2.5(rural residential) is necessary to allow the project to move forward. The proposed project would operate year-round, producing a total of 1.5 MW of renewable electric power during daytime hours. Power generated by the proposed project would be sold to Southern California Edison. The proposed project consists of rows of photovoltaic panels on single axis trackers with three inverters in the middle of the project site. These photovoltaic panels would convert sunlight directly into electrical energy without the use of heat transfer fluid or cooling water. The project would tie into the transmission lines that run along 40th Street East. A chain-link fence would surround the project site and a 10-foot landscaped planter would be provided between the fence and property line to screen the development from the surrounding uses. Access to the project site would be provided via a gate on 40th Street East. Irrevocable offers of dedication would be provided for both Avenue K-8 and 37th Street East. Avenue K-8 would be dedicated at 42 feet from the centerline, and 37th Street East would be dedicated at 32 feet from the centerline.
The proposed project has the potential to impact views from the surrounding roads and nearby residences. The photovoltaic panels are low profile with a maximum height of approximately eight (8) feet. While the views of the project site would change, the development would not impede long range views. Additionally, the project site would be fenced and landscaped around the entire perimeter.
Construction of the proposed project would generate noise, which has the potential to impact surrounding land uses. Mitigation measures are required which would reduce noise impacts to a less than significant level. Minimal amounts of noise would be generated by the operation of the proposed project and only during routine maintenance as the panels and tracking system are silent. Most of the time the facility would be remotely operated and no noise would be generated. Additional environmental impacts could be generated during construction of the proposed project with respect to biological resources and geology soils. The construction of the proposed project has the potential to impact burrowing owls during vegetation removal and grading operations. The applicant is required to conduct a pre-construction burrowing owl survey prior to the issuance of any permits. In the event burrowing owls are encountered on the project site during the survey, the applicant shall coordinate with the California Department of Fish and Game to determine the appropriate procedures/mitigation. Therefore, potential impacts would be less than significant. The applicant is also required to prepare and implement a dust control plan in accordance with AVAQMD Rule 403 which would ensure that impacts from dust during construction are minimal. Therefore, staff is recommending that the Commission approve the zone change and conditional use permit subject to the proposed conditions, based on the site having sufficient area to accommodate the proposed development, adequate access and services being available for the use, and the lack of significant adverse effects on the surrounding area.