The city is expected to appeal the latest decision handed down by the Los Angeles Superior Court regarding the lawsuit filed against it by the nonprofit California Housing Defense Fund, or CalHDF, ordering the city to process a building project application at 600 Foothill Blvd. in a manner that complies with state law.
In an appeal, the case is set to go through another hearing on the matter.
The Superior Court’s decision also mandated that LCF set aside its May 1, 2023, decision to not allow the mixed-use residential project to qualify for a builder’s remedy. The judgment states that LCF must comply within 60 days of when the Los Angeles Superior Court issues the order.
The proposed project by Cedar Street Partners would have included mixed-income residential dwellings units, affordable housing units, hotel units and office space.
The latest judgment on April 5 comes after the court determined that the city violated the Housing Accountability Act, or HAA, when it refused to move the development’s application forward under the California builder’s remedy.
“We’re very pleased with [the judgment],” Cal HDF Executive Director Dylan Casey told the Outlook Valley Sun. “I think it requires action by the city that is needed on the project under the law, and we hope the city … sees the light here and approves the project.”
LCF City Manager Daniel Jordan confirmed and said the city will appeal.
“The Superior Court’s final judgment in CHDF’s lawsuit against the city affirmed the court’s previous tentative ruling made in early March,” said Jordan. “The city is planning to appeal the judgement.”
The proposed project by Cedar Street Partners would have allowed for 80 mixed-income residential dwellings units, 16 hotel units and 7,260 square feet of office space. Sixteen of the 80 units were set to be reserved for affordable housing.
The builder’s remedy is a legal provision of the HAA that prohibits cities from denying development proposals that are inconsistent with local zoning and general plan requirements while a city does not have a state-certified Housing Element. LCF did not have a compliant housing element at the time it denied the 600 Foothill project in May 2023.
Meanwhile, CalHDF has said its mission is to increase the affordability and accessibility of housing in California by using legal advocacy and education to ensure cities comply with their own zoning ordinances and state housing laws.
Last December, leaders from the state, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and the Department of Housing and Community Development intervened in the lawsuit filed by CalHDF against the city of LCF for its housing element and denial of the 600 Foothill project. In a joint press release, they requested that the court allow them to intervene in the case to uphold California’s housing laws and reverse the city’s denial of the project, which they said would help add critically needed housing units amid the statewide housing shortage.
First published in the April 18 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
