Baca Boosts Development
Cassie MacDuff10:00 PM PDT on Monday, September 12, 2011
Federal and state wildlife officials will tour the Lytle Creek wash with Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, and developer Ron Pharris on Sept. 26 to gauge how much wildlife habitat should be set aside when an 8,400-home development is built.
Baca is helping Pharris' Lytle Development Co. fight environmental challenges to its massive tract, which already has prompted a lawsuit. A hearing is set for Sept. 30.
In a phone interview Monday, Baca said he believes environmental regulations are stifling development in Rialto and the rest of the Inland Empire.
Protections for the San Bernardino kangaroo rat and Southwestern willow fly catcher are hindering construction of the Lytle Creek Ranch project, he said.
In a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last month, he asked that the two creatures along with the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly, least Bell's vireo and Riversidean alluvial fan sage scrub be removed from the endangered species list.
"Now is the time when we need to create jobs and not hinder growth and development," Baca said Monday. "I think there can be room for both habitat and development."
It's not what you expect from a Democrat.
One environmentalist, Ileene Anderson of the Center for Biological Diversity, said Baca and others are using the economy as an excuse to undermine the Endangered Species Act.
Baca said Rialto needs to attract stores and restaurants for the city's tax base to compete with Victoria Gardens, Ontario Mills and other nearby centers.
He stepped into the fray between Pharris and two environmental groups, Save Lytle Creek Wash and the Endangered Habitats League, which have sued Rialto for approving the development. (Baca's son, Joe Jr., is a councilman.)
The groups want a judge to order revisions to the environmental study of traffic the project will cause, habitat and other issues.
Baca said he is helping Pharris with federal regulations. The developer must get U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approval to build near sensitive habitat.
The congressman said he set up a meeting between Pharris and federal officials. The Sept. 26 meeting is a follow-up and will include state Fish and Game.
A compromise on how much land to set aside would be a "win-win for habitat and for Lytle Creek Development," Baca said.
The project was to be built around El Rancho Verde Country Club. But Pharris announced last month that the golf course was losing money and would close. Its clubhouse is a popular place for service group meetings, weddings and other events.
The course won a reprieve when employees launched a campaign to sign up 300 golfers at $150 month to keep it afloat. In two weeks, 80 people signed up, golf pro Justin Hernandez said.
But on Friday night, Pharris told managers he will shut the club down Sept. 30, laying off 40 employees.
An avid golfer, Baca said he hopes Pharris will allow employees more time to recruit members. Pharris didn't return my calls Monday seeking comment.
Cassie MacDuff can be reached at 951-368-9470 or cmacduff@PE.com
