Harvard University’s endowment is buying up vineyards in California’s wine country, and the water rights

Harvard is using a wholly owned subsidiary named Brodiaea after the scientific name for the cluster lily —to buy vineyards. They have bought 10,000 acres in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties for about $60 million, according to an earlier report by Reuters. Harvard Crimson has indicated that they have bought even more land in California. They have targeted vineyards with ground water access. Water rights and uses are becoming prime needs for California’s central valley after long drought years. Some aquifers have reach critical levels. Antelope Valley is an area where water is at a premium. If you’re within the city limits than you may not have a problem other that higher rates from municipalities. If you have water rights in LA County with water shares to Mutual water companies, or a well on the property then you are in good hands. Harvard sees something in this area to invest over $60 million in California land. If you don’t have water rights or access than this investment maybe something to consider. Harvard being liberal minded takes into account global warming in their investments, but water access doesn’t need warming. Water is a commodity and maybe worth more than gold as the state grows in population. While some local farmers say they aren’t worried about Harvard’s purchases of vineyards, others—as well

LA Counties Water Problem Maybe Under Their Feet

They say you can’t get water from a stone, but one man says he can solve California’s water crisis with water from the desert. Scott Slater or of Cadiz Inc owns 45,000 acres of the Mojave Desert The company says there is an enormous amount of water a few hundred feet below. The firm is proposing taking hundreds of trillions of gallons of desert ground water a year and piping it over a hundred miles to the populated land in LA suburbs. A big factor in the project is to pipe along a railroad line. The Obama Administration denied access to the federal land right of way. The Trump administration reversed that decision and has approved it. Environmentalists are not happy even though it can solve LA Basin’s water issues. These environmentalists believe it will raise the price of water and disturb the ecosystem. Cadiz Inc says they have judicial decisions that back their claim that the environment will not be harmed. California bill that SB 20 could have stopped the company’s plans to pump water out of the Mojave, died in the California Senate.

Mike Tyson Plants the seeds on 40-acre Marijuana Resort Ranch in California City

News reports indicate Iron Mike Tyson has broken ground on resort in California City. The former heavy weight boxer and business partners have broken ground on a 40-acre ranch. California legalized marijuana for recreational use, and Tyson and his partners are looking to the wide open space of Antelope Valley to stake their claim. California City is a small town in the Mojave Desert near Edward Air force Base. Land is very cheap in this area, and there is nothing really appealing about California City. It is not Napa or Sonoma Valley havens to the wine growing industry of California. Can Tyson celebrity status draw enough interest to make it a desert resort? That remains to be seen. It is about 110 mile north of downtown Los Angeles. According to the news source The Blast they quote “taking care of men and women who have served in the armed forces is a top priority” for Tyson Holistic, the company that will operate the resort, to be called Tyson Ranch. The Blast also notes that there is an extract of marijuana call cannabidiol (CBD). This extract doesn’t provide the high that THC produces. According to sources this extract has been used by some veterans to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The extract has been touted for other therapeutic qualities. California City in Kern County much like Adelanto in San Bernardino County has opened its doors to marijuana cultivation in preparation for this laws approval. These cities are looking for the revenue to boost their fledging economies. These new progressive industries may help boost their economies in the short term, but it remains to be seen how marijuana will affect California youths in the long term. There are unknown long term effects to these drugs, and the crimes that they may bring into cities. Is marijuana a precursor to a larger drug openness culture?

Low Priced Lancaster, Ca. Property for Sale

We have been posting news about Lancaster and Palmdale developments since 2007. Not only do we try to inform our readers about developments in the Antelope Valley we also promote some property with investors we work with. Here are a couple of properties we are happy to submit for prospective investors. These parcels are priced at the low end of the market at recently sold price ranges. This property is located at 40th Street East at H-8. It is zoned RR-1 allowing 2 homes on this 2.5 acre parcel. Asking $50,000 which is commensurate with recent sales. Contact sales@vacantlanddeals.com for more information The second property is located at 43rd street East at Ave H. It is just under 2 acres fronting on H which is paved with power. The city limits of Lancaster ends at 40th street. There is also a home across the road. Ideal parcel to buy and hold. They are asking only $15,000 which again is similar to recent sales in this area. Contact sales@vacantlanddeals.com for more details If you know someone who is interested in promoting on our blog please let us know.

AV Sees Double-digit Home Price Gains

This is a reprint of an AV Press Article By: Jim Skeen AV Press PALMDALE - Lancaster and Palmdale neighborhoods saw double-digit home price gains in August, according to a report from CoreLogic. Lancaster's 93534 ZIP code had a median home price of $185,000 in August (57 sales), up 13.3% over the year. Lancaster's 93535 ZIP code had a median home price of $200,000 (98 sales), up 17.6%. Lancaster's 93536 ZIP code had a median price of $300,000 (122 sales), up 10.5%. Palmdale's 93550 ZIP code had a median home price of $220,000 (75 sales) in August, up 13.4% over the year. Palmdale's 93551 ZIP code had a median price of $336,000 (111 sales), up 10.2%. Palmdale's 93552 ZIP code had a median price of $259,000 (65 sales), up 19.4% over the year. Earlier this month, the Greater Antelope Valley Association of Realtors reported there were 517 homes sold in August in the region, a 4% increase over August 2015. Through August, 3,523 homes were sold in the Antelope Valley, down slightly from the 3,535 recorded at this point in 2015. The average selling price of an Antelope Valley home in August was $263,505, up 15% over August 2015. The average selling price of an Antelope Valley home so far this year is $244,038, up 10% from this point in 2015. Of the August transactions, 3% were foreclosures and 2% were short sales. In a separate report, CoreLogic reported there were 23,278 new and existing homes sold in Southern California in August, the highest tally for that month in a decade. The region's sales were up 9.5% over the year. In Los Angeles County, 7,725 new and existing homes were sold, a 5.4% year-over-year increase. The median price of a Southern California home was $465,000 in August, a 6.2% increase over the year. In the county, the median price was $530,000, a 6% increase. "Job growth, low interest rates, household formation and other factors helped drive up activity," said Andrew LePage, an analyst with CoreLogic. "The big picture is that the housing market continues to edge back toward normalcy in the wake of the worst housing bust in modern history." Existing homes in California sold at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 420,360 units in August, down 2.2% from a year earlier, according to a report from the California Association of Realtors. August was the sixth straight month of year-over-year sales declines. The median price of an existing, single-family California home in August was $526,580, up 5.8% from August 2015. The association's Unsold Inventory Index, which indicates the number of months needed to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate dipped from 3.6 months in both July and August 2015 to 3.4 months this August. Nationally, existing homes sold at an annualized pace of 5.33 million in August, down 0.9% from July, but up 0.8% from August 2015, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. "Healthy labor markets in most the country should be creating a sustained demand for home purchases," said Lawrence Yun, the national association's chief economist. "However, there's no question that after peaking in June, sales in a majority of the country have inched backwards because inventory isn't picking up to tame price growth and replace what's being quickly sold." Nationally, the unsold inventory is at a 4.6-month supply. A six- to seven-month supply is considered normal. The median existing-home price for all housing types in August was $240,200, up 5.1% from August 2015 ($228,500). August's price increase marks the 54th consecutive month of year-over-year gains, the association reported. Distressed sales - foreclosures and short sales - accounted for 5% of August transactions, the lowest percentage since the association began tracking that data in October 2008.

Wind Energy Projects have been a Challenge for Developers in Antelope Valley, Ca.

Many Antelope Valley residents are not excited over green energy projects underway for both Wind and Solar Energy. Many residents indicate that Wind Turbines would ruin the area's ambiance and harm the environment and the landscape will be changed forever.

The Antelope Valley energy companies want abundant lower priced land and lots of sun and wind. The sun scorches this landscape for at least nine out of 12 months and the wind gusts are reliable and steady.

Two solar projects have already been approved for unincorporated Los Angeles County. Eight other renewable energy projects have been proposed. The Wind Energy players NextEra Energy Resources and Element Power US want to build utility-scale wind turbine facilities that would tower hundreds of feet high.

According to the Los Angeles Times in a recent article the project manager for Element Power's proposed Wildflower Green Energy Farm. "Between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. the winds reach their highest peak, and it falls in line when the electrical grid has highest demand."

Element wants to use 4,000 acres of private land next to the poppy reserve for some 50 wind turbines almost 500 feet high. Each turbine would produce enough electricity to power up to 2,000 homes.

NextEra is proposing 90 turbines on about 7,000 acres in the northwestern Antelope Valley. This area has been identified by the California Energy Commission as suitable for large-scale wind and solar power developments. This is over an above Alta Wind Energies mega project of up to 1000 turbines in Tehachapi, Ca.

Resident fears once one large turbine project is approved then many more will be proposed. Solar panels are four to six feet above ground while the turbines will be hundreds of feet high. Home owners in Antelope Acres and Kings Canyon area argue that erecting wind turbines near homes would spoil views. They are also noisy and can devalue home prices. There are issues with large blades sparking fires, killing of birds and damaging wildlife habitat.

Element power has indicated that they have done habitat studies and they feel wildlife will not be adversely affected. They will also dedicate 320 acres for permanent conservation. Next Era also feels the turbines will have a minimal effect on wildlife.

We have helped introduce a number of property owners to solar and wind developers and consultants. Contact vacantlanddeals.com if you have property that maybe of interest to alternative energy developers.

The Southern California Water Solution Maybe in the Desert, Which Could Increase the Price of your Investment Land

>The original article was reported by Noaki Schwartz and Garance Burke of the Associated Press.

In the Mojave Desert east of Needles, Ca. in San Bernardino County is a place called Cadiz, Ca. It seems more like a location for a Clint Eastwood western as it is a desolate dry hot desert, but there maybe an oasis of water here just south of route 66. According to reports this oasis has tall green trees with lemons, and grape vines awaiting harvest.

A private water company indicates beneath the 35,000 acres Cadiz ranch is an aquifer with enough water for 400,000 homes. They indicate that this water comes originally from springs above in the Desert Mountains and settles in Cadiz and eventually resurfaces in dusty lake beds dozens of miles away where it evaporates in the hot desert.
A proposal to tap this water supply was rejected several years ago, but their new plan is to drill thirty four wells, and then pipe the water along the railroad line that currently exits.

Environmentalists say that this will impact the desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, Joshua trees and other plants and animals. Conversationalists say the aquifer is not as large as the company indicates, and even others say removing so much water annually will not allow the aquifer to recharge itself with limited annual rainfall. The debate will continue, but to us if the water is simply evaporating then a balance between man and nature maybe able to be made. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called the proposal "a path-breaking, new, sustainable groundwater conservation and storage project," when the prior proposal was made years ago.

According to the Associated Press, since 2010, the Santa Margarita Water District, Three Valleys Water District, Golden State Water Company, Suburban Water Systems and Jurupa Community Services District entered into agreements with Cadiz to receive water. These agencies supply water to parts of Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County and eastern San Gabriel Valley.

Now 400,000 homes will only serve a fraction of the water needs of Southern California, but it is enough to serve Lancaster and Palmdale, Ca. or Victorville’s current populations. We will see if the recent proposal will gather enough steam to flow water down to the Antelope Valley and onto farmland and homes instead of evaporating into dry air. Certainly, a future water solution will allow the High Desert areas to grow much like Arizona has.

Reverse 1031 Exchange: To Buy Before you Sell

In a standard 1031 Exchange a property is sold and then replacement property is acquired. If you locate a property you want but have not sold a property you currently own then a reverse 1031 could be advantageous. This is not a common in practice but has been done by investors. Some common reasons to do a reverse exchange is you have located a property you want based on price, location, zoning or other reason, but you need to act now in order to buy this property. Not a problem simple purchase this new property and begin the process of a reverse 1031 exchange.

Another reason is that many investors have been caught in the middle by not locating an exchange property in the 45 days to identify and 180 days to close timeframe. Locking up that exchange property in advance solve this dilemma for investors, and it may be easier for you to sell your current property than to locate a replacement property. In a slow real estate market it actually maybe harder to sell your current property and easier to get the replacement, especially, if the replacement property is at a low price and ideal location.

Acquiring replacement property first in a Reverse 1031 Exchange can cause some difficulties though. Since you have not sold your current property then you need the deposit funds for the new property. The biggest obstacle is that the two properties can’t be owned at the same time. In theory, an exchange is going from one property to another, so title to the new property and the old property can not be held at the same time. You will need to get a Reverse Exchange Asset Company to act as a straw buyer for the replacement property. You still must adhere to the 45 and 180 day rule as well.
So in a Reverse Exchange the property that will be sold to complete the exchange must be named by day 45 and it must close escrow on or before day 180.

Locating a reputable 1031 exchange company is the key in this manner, as they will act as the straw buyer. We at vacantlanddeals.com have a number of low priced properties that will be ideal buying opportunities. You can buy one of our industrial or residential low priced properties and sell your agricultural land parcels that you may have bought at the height of the market. It is an ideal time to take advantage of lower price Lancaster and Palmdale land, and we have inventory currently that can fit a reverse 1031 exchange.

SoCal Edison Power line Project in Western Antelope Valley the Electromagnetic fields (EMF) Your Health and Property Value

Southern California Edison (SCE) is undergoing a project to install new High Tension power-lines through Antelope Valley and expand existing power lines. The new power-lines will run through Angeles National Forest and run up along 105th Street West to and through the western portions of Kern County. SCE would be required to obtain new easements across over 100 privately owned parcels, as they expand their existing lines and create this new path. The mere mention of a proposed high voltage transmission lines and a new utility corridor in a community causes concern to property values. Eminent domain procedures have been occurring where in some cases 2.5 acre parcels are cut in half to expand current power line paths leaving property owners with tiny remnants of their parcel sitting along the high tension lines. The project will have a direct affect by potentially reducing property values within their visual range. The loss of the panoramic scenic vistas most properties enjoy could decrease the value of their homes, parcels and ranches. Most would agree that power must be supplied from somewhere, but nobody wants a negative effect on their investments, asset or lives. Virtually 90% of western Antelope Valley and Kern County is vacant unused land with small pockets of custom homes and some farming. SCE is proposing to install these power-lines on uninhabited land(investment land), but the long term investor could be affected, or will they?

The issue with power-lines is that it will ruin the view, but mainly the effects of Electromagnetic Field (EMF) that it produces. EMF has many sources and includes overhead power lines, radio broadcast towers, telephone/television microwave transmission and computer equipment. EMF is invisible radio wave energy that in some circumstances can change biological function. EMF from SoCal Edison’s proposed power-lines is called "extremely low frequency" magnetic field, which are produced by high voltage power lines. Several studies have linked high voltage power lines with increased cancer risk for children. Research from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and the University of Colorado found a five-fold increase in childhood cancer, particularly leukemia, in those homes near the highest level of extremely low frequency fields. Homes showing increased cancer risk were within 48 feet of power line wires designed to carry very high electric currents and within 22 feet of power lines designed to carry lower currents. Risks of breast cancer, depression, and other negative health effects are based on much more limited evidence and are even more speculative. There is enough information to have some concern, but not enough to set exposure standards they indicated. Other studies have indicated that the question of a "safe distance" is, at least, a complete unknown.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) said that the "strongest evidence" for health effects comes from statistical associations observed in human populations with childhood leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in occupationally exposed adults such as electric utility workers, machinists and welders. "While the support from individual studies is weak," according to their report, "these epidemiological studies demonstrate, for some methods of measuring exposure, a fairly consistent pattern of a small, increased risk with increasing exposure that is somewhat weaker for chronic lymphocytic leukemia than for childhood leukemia."
However, laboratory studies and investigations of basic biological function do not support these epidemiological associations, according to the report. It says, "Virtually all of the laboratory evidence in animals and humans and most of the mechanistic studies in cells fail to support a causal [cause and effect] relationship."
While sections of the report say EMF exposure "cannot be recognized as entirely safe," the report concludes: "The NIEHS believes that the probability that EMF exposure is truly a health hazard is currently small. The weak epidemiological associations and lack of any laboratory support for these associations provide only marginal scientific support that exposure to this agent is causing any degree of harm."
Research continues on some "lingering concerns," the report says, and efforts to reduce exposures should continue.

It appears from the studies that the risk of power-line exposure is possible, but also maybe only a small hazard. The risk is enough for some land investors to not buy land near power-lines or sell at a reduced rate. We have observed numerous housing projects, strip malls, restaurants, and businesses operating along high tension power-lines. You can perform you own visual research and you will find medium sized power-lines in densely population areas. Development occurs in all facets around these power-lines, so in the long term when development is needed builders will buy and construct at and near power-lines. It may occur in the later stages of development, but when your parcel is surrounded by development then you can ask the highest value. Our conclusion is that property investment has its risks, but for longer term investors even power-line property can be profitable. But as there is an abundance of unencumbered land available in Los Angeles County then buying land today closer to development and services is a better investment today.

Centennial Touts High Profile Jobs and a Self Sustainable Town in Their Development Plan

Centennial’s recent newsletter indicated they plan to provide 1.3 jobs per household, or approximately 30,000 in all, over its 20-year development period. They indicated that their plan will ultimately cut down on the overall environmental impact of the area by using green technology. In their job creation they hope to attract higher educated professionals and higher wage earners in the scientific, and technical industries, but also to have opportunities for all skill levels.
Centennial commissioned LAEDC ( Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation)
to assist them in locating the best business prospects for the area in the coming years. The LAEDC indicated that construction would be the second highest target job sector. Centennial plans to need approximately 30,000 construction workers just to build the project over the 20 year building process. They are also hoping to attract a large secondary education institution, and a medical facility. In addition, due to the low prices of land in the Antelope Valley they hope to attract manufacturing businesses in the electronic fields. Low priced land and nearby services and facilities with a higher educated workforce should spurn education, healthcare and manufacturing development. Green technology is rapidly growing in Lancaster, Palmdale and Kern Counties with Wind and Solar, so it is already beginning. They expect a multiplier effect where one job produces the need for more jobs and services like retail, community services, and ideally these wage earners will wish to live in Centennial with likely 70,000 jobs created in the area over time. The nearby Tejon Industrial Complex where Hwy 5 and Hwy 99 meet at the bottom of the Grapevine employs one thousand people at IKEA, Oneida, and Famous Footwear, so they have history and success in their past developments.
It looks like Centennial has a real plan to build this upscale city. They intend to complete it slowly and methodically unlike other nearby city planners. We believe that as the development progresses the vacant land in this area will become more desirable and increase in price. We will keep you informed here to the progress in this area and land investment opportunities that arise. This is just another sign that the Antelope Valley shows good long term investment opportunities.

Mojave Solar Project Gets Initial Green Light With Assistance From Rosamond and California City

The Antelope Valley Press recently reported a potential approval of a $950 million Solar Plant in Mojave Ca. The plant is proposed on 2000 acres off of Hwy 14. The California Energy Commission has given a 30 day period for public opinion on the proposed project. The issue that may halt the project is its need for fourteen hundred acres of water per year, as water is scarce in the desert. The proposal from the developer is to use treated water and or sewage water from the two local communities of Rosamond and California City. E-Solar has proposed a similar solution for their facility in Lancaster, Ca. E-Solar proposes to use runoff and treated water and further naturally treat it on 100 acres in Fox Field. The Mojave Solar project requires water because it relies on a solar thermal design by using mirrors to capture and reflect the suns raze to a network of tubes. Liquid in the tubes is heated thus in turn powers a steam turbine that produces electricity. The AVPress indicates that officials in the city of Rosamond and California City have agreed to supply the treated water.

This project will be at least the fifth new solar power project in the Antelope Valley in the last two years, clearly making the valley a developing green zone. The project appears to have the approval of the Energy Committee, and local city officials. It is miles from any real development, so there will likely not be much residential disapproval. Once the project gets the green light then it would take two years to construct and would employ just over fifty full time employees. It will likely be the only development for tens of miles.

This type of land currently sells for below two thousand an acre showing that the developer has been cost conscious. All of this land is simply desert land and zoned rural residential and agricultural use, but there is nothing that grows in this type of environment. Without solar this area would have very slow growth. We are encouraged by the development, but we wouldn’t recommend buying this land so far north of California City. It would be better to be closer to a growing area like Rosamond or Lancaster Ca.

Antelope Valley Weed Abatement Notice and the Responsibility to the Vacant Land Investor

Los Angeles County via the Dept. of Agricultural Commissioner Weights and Measures has increased its Annual Weed Abatement Notices. There have been a number of properties in Lancaster and Palmdale California which have gotten this notice for the first time. The Abatement Notice levied to properties when an abundant amount of weeds, brush, neglected vegetation or trash has accumulated on properties. This includes homes and vacant lots. In addition, properties were sited if these weeds are located near a house or structure as they create potential fire hazards to all homes. Specifically in Antelope Valley there is a special notice. If your property has a large amount of tumbleweeds, which can roll onto roads, damage agriculture crops or build up near homes and fences then your property can be sited. If you are sited then the responsibility of the property owner is to clear the dry weeds or brush within one hundred to two hundred feet from a home or structure, and ten feet from a road.

Some owners are getting this notice and they do not have an abundant amount of weeds on the property. It is because of the special information regarding tumbleweeds. Because of environmental factors, inspections and abatement of the current season’s growth of tumbleweeds on parcels in the Antelope Valley will not begin until Oct of 2010. We surmise the Department of Agriculture will wait until the end of the summer season to see if tumbleweeds have rolled onto your property.

There have been hearings in late February for property owners who wish to present objections to their notice. After April 1, 2010 the County will be inspecting properties for excessive weeds and brush. If property owners have not inspected their parcels and cleared bush per the notice then the county will begin enforcement of the notice and clear excessive weeds, and the cost of the county abatement will be assessed to the property tax bill. If the property owner has not cleared the property themselves by March 15, 2010 then the county abatement team is on its way. The county has already assessed an inspection fee of $45 even if the property owner cleared the brush themselves. If the county hires independent firms to enforce the notice then the abatement fee will be much more expensive then if the property owner were to maintain their own parcel. In addition, if you received the notice and sold the property then the sited property owner will be liable for the assessed abatement fees, and not the new owner.

These abatement notices may increase over the years as Antelope Valley grows, so it is important to view your property periodically and maintain any debris and vegetation. The debris issue is a separate issue as people have used remote parts of the valley as a private dump. The land investor has less issues then the home investor but still must invest with responsibility.

Los Angeles County Rural land Soon to become a Race Track?

The proposed racetrack is approaching the finish line. The Fairmont Butte Motor Sports Park (fairmontbuttemotorsportspark.com) has been proposed on 320 acres of land at 150th Street West at Hwy 138. The property owner and founder is Thomas E. Malloy. The Los Angeles County planning commission recently recommended the project at the September 2009 meeting. There are several more hurdles to jump, but the meeting this coming Saturday February 6th at the Lancaster Regional Library may go a long way to making this project a reality.

The proposed track is situated on privately owned land in Antelope Valley. Most of this area is vacant unused land or farmland in the remote area west of Lancaster, Ca. The track will be open to the public with no memberships required. The plan is not for commercial use, but for private motor car enthusiasts, car clubs, and racing organizations. The track will carve around Fairmont Butte just west of the poppy preserve.

The plans indicate that the racetrack would only use 140 of the available acreage and operate only during the daytime, and there would be no grandstands, allowing for only a few spectators. Racing would only take place on weekends and on occasional Fridays. The main obstructions that may upend the proposal are environmental issues. The few nearby residents could be exposed to excessive noise once it is up and running. It could also affect the area's wildlife, which includes lizards, badgers and burrowing owls, and it will be only a mile from the state protected wildflower poppy preserve. Environmentalists also indicated this area is also home to seasonal wildflowers, California buckwheat scrub and purple needle grass typically grow there. The racetrack group indicates that they will minimized these environmental issues by restricting noise, limiting racing and traffic and independent studies show that while there will be some impact to habitat, there would be no impact to wildlife movement or to the Poppy Reserve. In addition, the Fairmont Butte offers a natural barrier to noise and helps maintain the areas natural beauty.

There are also several Solar power companies forwarding proposals to develop this area, so the terrain will likely change rapidly in the coming years. Most private land owners and investors have looked for development and changes in this primarily rural vacant land. Property prices will likely increase in the coming years due to the coming growth, and we will keep you informed to these developments.

Green Acres is Centennial Developments High Desert Plan

Centennial Development is a planned self sustained new development on Tejon Ranch, which is situated at 300th West at Hwy 138 Ave D in western Antelope Valley. Tejon Ranch will preserve 240,000 acres of their ranch in an agreement with environmental groups this past May. In exchange these environmentalists will not stand in the way of Centennials planned development of up to 20,000 homes in the designated area.

The development is planned with a green theme. Centennials news release indicates there will be 8600 acres set aside just for open space, and their compact village centers will accommodate mix use development of commercial, single family residential, apartments with a green homogeneous environment. Residents will be within a half mile of neighborhood parks, and town centers. They will be designed to accommodate bicycles and cars, with a transit system to enable access to LA County mass transit. It is sort of the anti LA. Los Angeles County present design since 1950 has been no design and no mass transit at all. If you don’t have a car you simply can’t live. The result is traffic congestion smog, and very few parks.

Centennial anticipates better energy conservation in their homes with lower water consumption and watershed management. The homes and buildings will be designed with better lighting features for efficient energy consumption. They plan to use recycled water for landscaping and designated recycling areas for residential and commercial disposable materials. This will also reduce home and building monthly expenses. It will be built over 20 years to take advantage of new technologies over time. The overall plan includes its own police and fire departments, schools, markets, with a specific plan for the essentially green gated community.

This is a far better and different plan then current developer’s who buy the land, create a tentative tract map, build and sell the homes and move onto the next target. This new green designed Centennial community could be an example for the future developers as a conscientious plan and a self sustained environment with less impact on the current and future terrain. It should also highlight and increase the value of property in the surrounding area on Antelope Valley’s far west side.

We have and can locate vacant land opportunities in Lancaster and Palmdale California in the pre-development phases as a low cost investment. Investors can take advantage now and buy land and wait to receive increased property value in the post-development phase.

Rural Land as an Alternative Investment in the New Green Energy Economy

There has been a number of development proposals for the vacant land near the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. In 2005 there was a proposal from Scottish Power to develop Wind Energy, but the neighborhood disliked the idea of large Wind Towers on the horizon. That enterprise appears to be long dead. In addition, there has been a proposal working its way through LA County Planning Commission for a NASCAR Style Race Track at 150th Street West and Ave D. The neighbors have been fighting that proposal as well due to noise and other issues, but it has been the hottest ticket on the west side until now.

A new plan is shedding light on the poppy reserve. Nextlight Renewable Power of San Francisco is planning a solar sight called AV Solar Ranch One. This proposed development is targeted for 170th West at Ave D. The company uses photovoltaic panels which turn sunlight into electricity. They operate on a track so the panels move with the sun, and the energy produced will connect to Southern California Edison. This consigns with California law which mandates up to 33% of the States Energy to be from alternative sources. Edison is already expanding their power-lines that run through the region, and the proposal appears to be on track with residents as the Antelope Acres Town Council unanimously approved the plan. Nextlight’s news release targets the environment impact studies to be approved by April of next year. They hope for construction to begin by October of 2010 and energy production by 2011. This project will certainly change the landscape of the area, which has been primarily vacant unused land. It shouldn’t affect the poppy reserve though, since the site is north of Fairmount Butte. Also, it is not part of the counties ecological reserve where Joshua Trees and other plant and animal life is protected.

At least two solar energy companies are now taking advantage of the suns consistent output in the Antelope Valley, and the availability of low priced land. We have been telling our clients and prospective investors that they need to buy land near a large metropolitan area in the path of growth,Northern Los Angeles County certainly fits that model. The proposed solar development and the continued focus of the State and Federal governments to support alternative energy sources will create a new economy. Historically, new economies have taken us out of recessions, like the recent Dotcom and Real Estate booms which both eventually went bust. The new “Green Energy Economy” looks like it will be the next boom but with lasting implications. It will change the way we use energy and resources, and the Obama Administration is intent on its implementation with Cap and Trade regulation. The green boom ground zero is in the Antelope Valley, so stay tuned for future developments.

Centennial Development Forms Agreement with Local School District

Centennial Founders have formed an agreement with the Gorman School District.
Centennial development is planning a self reliant community on the far-west side of Antelope Valley neat 300th street West, and just a few miles east of the community of Gorman. The development is proposed to include up to 20,000 homes, a business district, medical facilities, as well as, cultural recreation services and schools. The agreement with the Gorman School District goes a long way to create this oasis in the valley. Centennial Development will be situated about thirty miles west of Lancaster, Ca. and just east of Hwy 5 with easy access to Burbank and Los Angeles and Bakersfield in Kern County. It is a privately funded self supported community with a specific plan for growth, and housing. Their master plan will include single family homes, condominiums, town homes and thousands of rental properties.

The agreement with the school district, according to their recent press release will include $233 million in investment to complete the educational facilities for Kindergarten through 8th grade. This master plan for the initial school is set to be completed by 2013. Centennial already has an agreement with Antelope Valley Union High School District to provide two high schools with an estimate cost of $254 million.

This private development appears to be on track, and it will positively transform the area near Gorman. This area is primarily vacant unused land or farmland situated at the border with Kern County, and overlooking the San Gabriel Mountains. There is access via Hwy 138 which runs from Hwy 5 east to Lancaster and Palmdale. Los Angeles County’s future growth will be in Antelope Valley, as this remains the most abundant available undeveloped land in the county. The plan by Centennial has already been approved by the county and by an earlier agreement with environmentalist. We will keep you informed with this development and other positive developments for Antelope Valley’s growth.

Home Sales Dropping and Exploding in Antelope Valley

According to reports from GAVAR the local MLS (multiple listing service) Antelope Valley's April home sales soared 152% over the same period last year with 866 homes sold. The majoring of those sales were foreclosures.
The Antelope Valley Press indicates that the sales prices have dropped 47% with the average sales price being $122k. The area had almost six thousand homes available on the market in the summer of 2007, and that inventory has dropped to just under two thousand. Foreclosures and short sales have decreased the prices dramatically to price not seen since 1995 according to a local escrow officer.
Many of these are first time home buyers, and investors looking to buy when the market is down, and rent to those who have been foreclosed upon. We look around at the available properties on the market in December, and many of these homes were vandalized and in need of extensive repairs. Some condos were sold for as little as thirty thousand, and homes in not as desirable neighborhoods for forty five thousand. It is a buyers market for both homes and vacant land.
Prices have dropped also in vacant land to ranges not seen since 2004. The savvy investors have been buying in this market. Homes maybe best for the local investor, but low priced vacant land is great for an investor living outside of Los Angeles County. You don't have to be concerned with vandalism, tenants, or maintenance cost with a land investment.
If you are looking to take advantage of low price then this is the prime time to do so. Contact vacantlanddeals.com today and if they don't own the parcel then they will locate a prime low prices property for you.

The Solar Wind is Creating Green Energy Land Investment Opportunities in Los Angeles County

There has been much talk in the news media and the Obama Administration regarding cap and trade, and global warming solutions. You may ask where this green energy momentum will take root. Well we see some indications in California which has been leading the way in the US regarding going green. We have noticed there has been growing development in Antelope Valley with Wind and Solar technologies. E-solar has acquired $130 million in funding from Google.org and Oak Investment Partners and they have signed a power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison Power to build a 245 megawatts solar plant in the Antelope Valley region of Los Angeles County. There will be a series of fully operational plants which will begin production in 2011, and targeted operational by 2012 according to news sources. There have also been large purchases of land in several parts of the Antelope Valley by Solar energy companies over the past year. It is either an E-solar subsidiary or a solar competitor. In addition, Luz Solar Partners has a fully operational solar plant at Kramer Junction near Hwy 58 and Hwy 395 in San Bernardino County for several years now.

If you drive through Tehachapi, California in Northern Antelope Valley you will see many Wind Turbines taking advantage of the heavy winds through the grape vine and Antelope Valley. This area is slowly and quietly becoming fertile ground for green energy solutions. We spoke to a recent land buyer who purchased land in Kern County and a Wind Energy Company approached them within months to lease their land to install their turbine towers.

These are real time Land banking opportunities taking place right now in Lancaster and Palmdale California and the growth appears to be just beginning. Real Estate is at market lows, and the push for the nation and globe to go green is in its infancy. Many property owners purchase land in the Antelope Valley a number of years ago if not decades ago, and they are reaping rewards today. If this area continues to be ground zero for green energy technologies then the Land banking turnaround could be much shorter.