RGP to City of Palmdale: ‘Not in my backyard’

“Not in my backyard.” That’s what homeowners behind the lawsuit against the mixed-use residential and commercial development on Rancho Vista Boulevard are saying.

The development includes a Sprouts Farmers Market, apartments and townhomes near the Antelope Valley Mall. But the group calling themselves Responsible Growth Palmdale doesn’t want the apartments or townhomes to be developed. They would, instead, prefer single-family homes.

They cite not wanting people in the upper-level apartments to be able to see into their backyards, as one of the reasons they’re opposing the units. The entire lawsuit is very cloak and dagger. Julie Drake’s story in the newspaper on Monday quoted one of the people from Responsible Growth Palmdale, who refused to be identified.

But that person had no problem throwing their attorney Les Finney under the bus for missing a filing date.

The lawsuit is on appeal after a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled Responsible Growth Palmdale filed it too late.

“We’ve had two settlement officers,” the homeowner said. “The first one he had a conference call. The second one he just took it upon himself to say no without asking us and never did a vote.”

Finney hasn’t said anything either way and didn’t immediately return a phone message left on Friday afternoon.

Finney did not immediately return a phone message Friday afternoon.

The housing portion of the project will include 308 apartments, most of them studio and one-bedroom units, as well as 36 two- to three-bedroom townhouses.

The high-end, gated complex will feature a central recreation building, pool, picnic area and other recreational amenities.

This group wants to make sure multi-unit housing doesn’t come to the area, but that’s probably what’s most in demand in the Antelope Valley. They’ve already made it clear that they do not want Section 8 housing there and according to the plan, that’s not what it’s going to be. So what’s the issue?

The bottom line is, they do not want townhouses or apartments near their homes. In Drake’s story on Monday, they also made it clear they don’t want fast-food restaurants in the development. Are the group’s demands within reason? We’re not so sure.

We think a high-end gated community would be perfectly acceptable and welcomed in Palmdale, by those seeking that type of housing. Is that location the ideal one? Maybe, maybe not. Commercial development is part of a growing community, so if those folks purchased their homes with the thought that nothing would ever be developed on the vacant land near their homes, they were living in a fantasy land.

The location appealing for a couple of reasons: It’s close to other retailers, within walking distance, actually; and it’s in a desirable part of Palmdale. Furthermore, it will offer renters an alternative to other apartment complexes that they maybe weren’t interested in because of the location, tenants, etc. Not everyone who comes to the Antelope Valley is looking to buy a home.

So while we wait for this lawsuit to go through the court system, those who shop at Sprouts are likely taking their grocery list and their money, which could be spent locally, and going to Valencia, where they can find not only a Sprouts store, but also a Whole Foods store.