A Riverside neighborhood group has filed a California Environmental Quality Act petition against the University of California, Riverside’s planned expansion.
The University Neighborhood Association’s Dec. 16 petition claims the university’s Long Range Development Plan’s Environmental Impact Report, which calls for total employees and students to increase by 14,000, from 32,000 to 45,500, by 2035, fails to address a wide range of impacts.
The university has not responded to Follow Our Courts‘ request for comment.
The petition claims impacts to population, housing, recreation, aesthetics, air quality, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards, hydrology, water quality, noise, traffic, transportation, agricultural lands, biological resources and public services are not appropriately considered or mitigated. The suit claims the association’s earlier public comment on the plan was not taken into consideration.
The Association prays for an injunction to prevent UCR from furthering the project, for a vacation of approval for the project, and for the costs of suit and reasonable attorney fees.
Their six exact causes of actions are failure to comply with CEQA procedural requirements, failure to adequately consider environmental impacts as required by CEQA, failure to adopt feasible mitigation measures and alternatives required by CEQA, failure to adopt findings that are supported by evidence in the record, failure to adopt a statement of overriding considerations that is supported by evidence in the record and violation of policies, requirements and goals.
Isabela Rodriguez and Evert DeLano of Escondido’s DeLano & DeLano represent the Neighborhood Association.
University of California, Riverside, has not announced its counsel.
Riverside Superior Judge Sunshine Sykes presides.
Case no: CVRI2105682
Read the complaint here.
