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AirTalk

To build or not to build: The future of development planning on Tejon Ranch

By AirTalk Staff
Published Jun 11, 2018
GORMAN, CA - JUNE 30: The San Andreas Fault, visible as the line between grey metamorphic quartz monzonite and brown sedimentary sandstone and siltstone, is seen at Tejon Pass on June 30, 2006 near Gorman, California. The rift of tan and brown layers indicates the site of the surface rupture of a magnitude-8.0 earthquake in 1857 that was the largest quake in California?s recorded history. The fault south of here has seen relatively few massive temblors in recent centuries. Scientists are warning that after more than 300 years with very little slippage, the southern end of the 800-mile-long San Andreas Fault north and east of Los Angeles has built up immense pressure that could trigger a massive earthquake at any time. Such a quake could produce a sudden lateral movement of 23 to 32 feet which would be would be among the largest ever recorded. By comparison, the 1906 earthquake at the northern end of the fault destroyed San Francisco with a movement of no more than about 21 feet. Experts believed that a quake of magnitude-7.6 or greater on the lower San Andreas could kill thousands of people in the Los Angeles area with damages running into the tens of billions of dollars. The San Andreas Fault is the point of collision between the Pacific and the North American tectonic plates of the Earth?s crust. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
The San Andreas Fault, visible as the line between grey metamorphic quartz monzonite and brown sedimentary sandstone and siltstone, is seen at Tejon Pass
(
David McNew/Getty Images
)
Listen 18:53
To build or not to build: The future of development planning on Tejon Ranch

The plan to build a community in northern L.A. County’s Tejon Ranch has been debated for years.

At this week’s Regional Planning Commission hearing, a conversation was sparked again. As the Los Angeles Times reports, Tejon Ranch’s proposed Centennial development plan would create a 12,000 acre site, complete with 20,000 new homes and schools, parks and a sheriff’s station.

This could be good news for Angelenos in the midst of the county’s housing crisis. It could also mean relief for nearby residents who commute far distances for work and to reach schools, parks and libraries.

But environmental groups opposing the plan argue that it would hurt air quality, endanger wildlife such as the California condor and impact grasslands. There are also concerns about earthquake fault lines and fire risks in the area. The Centennial development is one of three plans at Tejon Ranch that have been on the table since 1999.

The Regional Planning Commission will vote on the project in July. If approved, it will head to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the final greenlight.

Guests:

Barry Zoeller, vice president of corporate communications and investor relations at Tejon Ranch Co.; the company is behind the Centennial development project

Ileene Anderson, senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy nonprofit, her focus includes protecting endangered species