San Diego City Council voted 5-2 on Jan. 24 to reject a proposed settlement offer in a lawsuit filed by four environmentalist groups over the city’s decision to build a bridge over University City’s Rose Canyon.
Friends of Rose Canyon, San Diego Audubon Society, San Diego CoastKeeper and Endangered Habitats League allege that the council broke the California Environmental Quality Act in approving the environmental impact report (EIR) for the bridge project.
Friends of Rose Canyon, a nonprofit organization formed in 2003 to protect the natural resource, was unable to comment on the decision as of Tuesday, Feb. 6, according to President Debby Knight.
Building a bridge across the canyon would harm wildlife and wetlands, and could potentially impact the water quality, according to a statement on the Friends of Rose Canyon Web Site.
District 1 City Councilman and Council President Scott Peters’ office could not give out information concerning a timeline for further litigation because of the ongoing nature of the case, according to Pam Hardy, Peters’ communications director.
The council approved the Regents Road Bridge and decided against the Genessee Avenue widening alternative in August 2006 because of social and economic benefits, such as improved connectivity within University City and a faster emergency response time for paramedics, Hardy said.
Environmentalists contend City Attorney Michael Aguirre warned city council that the bridge EIR did not comply with CEQA, according to the petition filed by attorney Rachel Hooper.
In its recent decision to deny a settlement, the council also authorized Mayor Jerry Sanders $250,000 to interview and hire outside council to defend the city, which will be funded by Northern University City facilities benefit assessments (FBA) fees, according to Hardy.
For more information concerning the project, visit www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil/cd1 or www.rosecanyon.org.