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Canyon View Estates Solar Panels

Canyon Country Solar Panel Battle Sees A Possible $5 Million Conclusion

After a long battle spanning over four years between Canyon View Estates, their residents and the City of Santa Clarita, a possible conclusion may have been found. 

On June 17, 2021, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the residents and the City of Santa Clarita regarding solar panels that were installed June of 2017. 

The city does have the right to remove the solar panels, but the court ruled that if they wish to do so, the city must pay for the removal, expected to total around $5 million.  

These solar panels were installed by the owner of the Canyon View Estates property to reduce cost and “go green.” 

The solar panels, covering over 2.5 acres on a hill behind the property, caused difficulty when reselling and destroyed pleasant views according to a number of residents who originally brought the issue to attention.

Originally, the city did not have the jurisdiction to enforce the removal as the property is zoned as a mobile home park and thus is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), a state agency headquartered in Sacramento. 

The permits for the installation of these solar panels were obtained from the HCD as there was no legal or safety issue surrounding their installation. 

In 2018 the city determined that the solar panels allegedly extended beyond the property of the mobile home park and asked the owners to to remove them. Also violating the conditions of their original permit, the solar panels infringed on the law that at least 50 percent of the property must be maintained as open space. 

September of 2018, the owners were instructed to remove the solar panels, but were not given a clear timeline or specific repercussions if the request was not followed. 

“While the City supports efforts to move to renewable energy, the City takes seriously its responsibility to enforce conditions of approval designed to protect the quality of life in Santa Clarita, balancing the need for development with the preservation of open space,” officials said in the statement during that time. 

On Sept. 12, 2018 the City of Santa Clarita filed an official complaint with the Los Angeles Superior Court regarding the solar panels installed at Canyon View Estate in 2017. The complaint asked the court for “preliminary and permanent injunction and declaratory relief to abate a public nuisance” in regard to the solar panels, according to City officials.

Other complaints included in the suit allege the property owners did not submit the required geotechnical report, did not complete the required hillside development plan and are operating a power generation business within the park, which the property is not zoned for.

After the city was granted permission to inspect the property by a Chatsworth judge on Jan. 21, 2020 and their findings were scheduled to continue in a nonjury trial scheduled for Monday, June 8. 

On June 17 the court ruled that the City of Santa Clarita obtains the right to have the solar panels removed, but the court stated that it would be at the cost of the city, which would be an estimated $5 million. 

“There is definitely vindication in regards to local control and what can be done in our Open Spaces without the input of the City and the Council.  Additional Green energy sources are important, but where and how they are placed to ensure those who live near them are not negatively impacted is important as well. The council will convene in closed session tomorrow to discuss what potential actions we can take going forward to continue to advocate for our community and our residents,” stated councilmember Jason Gibbs

The results of the ruling and the city’s plan moving forward are expected  to be discussed Tuesday, June 22 in light of the information for how much the removal of the panels will cost, and possible options as discussions progress.

 


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Canyon Country Solar Panel Battle Sees A Possible $5 Million Conclusion

7 comments

  1. I think there was a better creative option to the location of the solar panels. The homes in this development are owned by the people. The land is leased by them for anywhere between $900-$1,300 or more a month. The owner of the land could have offered to place the solar on the homes and give them a discounted land lease rate. This would have created a benefit of going green, saving money and continue with open green space.

  2. Don’t you just ‘love’ these skanky loopholes? The City should not be made financially responsible to remove these eye sores.

    Isn’t it Native American land in that area? This is desecration of the land.

    I hope SCV hires new lawyers who know how to defend our city and its residents from scumbags.
    If not, corrupt land developers will have a field day with something else.

  3. Use the panels to mine for Bitcoin. The collective amount could be evenly distributed amongst the residents.
    I live close by these panels and it’s true, a total eyesore. Instead of removal, repurpose and new design.

  4. If the houses in question are truly mobile homes then the panels couldn’t be put on them as they aren’t strong enough to support them. While I agree that there needs to be a better system it isn’t the cities responsibility to remove something that the land owner didn’t properly have installed .

  5. I think there is enough qualified people that would volunteer to remove those solar panels and there’s no way those panels cost $5 million to install. Is that a figure so the city will not take them down.

  6. Berta González-Harper

    Rather than pay these jerks 5 million dollars to remove these hideous eyesores, put out an RFP for any company that wants to remove them at no cost to us taxpayers but receives ownership of these panels free of charge so they can reinstall them in a more appropriate location preferably in another city. Or if that is not feasible, allow City residents the opportunity to attack these things with sledgehammers, bulldozers, or whatever and then have the city pay only for the dump fees, which should be nowhere near 5 million dollars. Either way, get them off of our Canyon Country hillside viewscape! Thank you to the leadership pf the City of Santa Clarita and shame on the property owners for placing this awful blight in OUR Canyon Country community.

  7. $5M to remove them?! That’s ridiculous. The City is getting hosed.

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About Grace Halaby

Grace Halaby is a Washington State native currently attending The Master’s University and will graduate in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications- Creative Writing and Publishing. She joined the KHTS News Team in February 2021 and when Grace isn’t writing or studying, she can be found reading, or exploring California with her husband Peyton.