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With construction from other projects along Grand Avenue already obstructing traffic leading into Cal Poly, the City of Walnut filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court opposing an Environmental Impact Report approved by City of Industry.
The move is in an effort to delay creation of a NFL stadium proposed on April 17, 2008.
Billionaire Ed Roski Jr. of Majestic Reality Co. is seeking to build an $800-million stadium in Industry as part of a shopping and entertainment complex near the intersections of the 57 and 60 freeways.
“The basis [of the lawsuit] is violations of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) but also a number of other state laws and the city of industry’s own municipal code,” Special Counsel Jan Chatten-Brown said at a press conference held at the council chambers on March 25. “The violations of the CEQA we think are quite egregious. And we’re confident that a judge will set aside the EIR that was prepared for the project,” she said.
At the Feb. 26 council meeting, Industry approved the EIR for the proposed 75,000- seat stadium and retail complex by a 5-0 vote, thereby exacerbating an issue which has polarized residents on both sides of the controversy.
While some residents contend that Walnut, Diamond Bar and surrounding areas are bedroom communities and their quality of life will be disrupted by the development, others claim that the economic impact of the proposed project on the region would be a significant boon given the current economic downturn.
Walnut City Manager Rob Wishner said the Walnut City Council authorized Chatten-Brown to file the lawsuit based on environmental grounds and passed by a 4-1 vote a resolution to appropriate $150,000 from its general fund to challenge the Industry EIR in court.
Wishner said the city does not have a cap on litigation expenses and estimated it could cost up to $200,000 to oppose the stadium project.
“The City of Industry attempted to characterize this as a revised project but in fact, the project that they reviewed in 2004 was an entirely different project, it was an industrial commercial project. The existing project that has now been approved is for an NFL stadium entertainment complex, retail restaurant project,” Chatten-Brown said.
The attorney added Industry misrepresented itself in its environmental report because it had originally proposed a different project in 2004.
“This is a massive project. We’re talking about 592 acres of land being developed. It is far more specific that the conceptual plan discussed in the 2004 EIR, This project will have a tremendous biological impact in addition to traffic, noise and aesthetic impacts on the surrounding communities,” said Chatten-Brown.
The lawsuit names the City of Industry, Industry Business Center LLC, and Majestic Realty along with Roski, whose company has built stadiums throughout North America including the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
“We are fighting for the right kind of mitigation, we are trying to protect the residents of Walnut and to preserve their quality of life,” said Walnut Mayor Mary Su.
According to Wishner and Walnut Director of Community Development Daniel Fox, Industry’s violations besides failing to adequately describe the project in their report include: “Failure to analyze a reasonable range of alternatives to the project including a stadium at the Coliseum, Rose Bowl or other locations, reliance upon outdated projections of water supply and solid waste capacity, failure to ensure adequate police and fire protection for the area.”
Walnut city officials at the March 25 press conference declined to comment on three possible city council recalls filed by residents on both sides of the issue, but former Walnut Mayor Joaquin Lim has been very vocal in his opposition to the project and is also a target for political opponents who are calling for him to step down.
Reach Ariel Carmona at news@thepolypost.com
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