STOP CENTENNIAL

Save the Antelope Valley Wildlands

What is Centennial?

Centennial is a city-sized sprawl development proposed by Tejon Ranch Company. It consists of more than 19,000 homes and 8.4 million square feet of commercial space spread over 5,800 acres in a beautiful area full of wildlife. Located near the intersection of Interstate 5 and State Route 138, next to the Angeles National Forest, Centennial would destroy the Antelope Valley Wildlands, which contain some of the most beautiful and diverse native grasslands and wildflower fields remaining in California.

Centennial is the wrong vision for Los Angeles.

Centennial is totally inconsistent with a sustainable L.A.

Transportation emissions are now the greatest climate-change driver in California. Centennial is isolated from existing cities, 35 miles from Santa Clarita and 65 miles from downtown Los Angeles. This far-flung new city would generate more than 75,000 new vehicle trips a day, with an average trip length of 45 miles. Those long commutes would generate massive carbon pollution and undermine California’s climate goals.

Centennial would degrade our quality of life.

Adding tens of thousands of long-distance commuters to L.A. County’s crowded freeways will drive up traffic, particularly on Interstate 5. That will generate more air pollution, which causes asthma, lung cancer and birth defects. More pollution and sprawl development is unacceptable when our region is already out of compliance with existing air-quality standards. Centennial would also refocus the county’s limited resources on building new police and fire stations, schools and roads. L.A. County should be supporting affordable housing, city services, and transit and growth in, or near, existing cities.

Centennial would destroy irreplaceable wildlands on the verge of extinction.

The project site encompasses some of the last, best and largest native grasslands and wildflower fields left in California. Ninety-nine percent of these habitats have already been destroyed. These last remaining grasslands are an irreplaceable piece of California’s natural heritage.

Centennial would destroy habitat for rare plants and animals.

After almost going extinct in the 20th century, California condors are slowly making a comeback and rely on the project site for foraging. Other rare birds, like bald eagles and burrowing owls, call the area home. Antelope Valley’s namesake pronghorn live there, as do badgers, kit foxes and other quintessential California wildlife. This huge development would hinder wildlife movement between the Tehachapi Mountains and Angeles National Forest, essential for mountain lions, bears and bobcats.

Centennial would endanger people.

The project site is not a safe place for 57,000 people to live because it's in “high” and “very high” fire-hazard zones. Building in high fire-hazard areas endangers future residents and requires extremely expensive firefighting and public safety efforts, a financial burden the county shouldn’t have to bear. Last year’s wildfire season was the most destructive in state history, and scientists warn that severe wildfires fueled by climate change are the “new normal.” The project site also sits on California’s two major earthquake faults — the San Andreas and Garlock. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Centennial would sit on one of the areas rated as having the highest earthquake risk in California.

Where is Centennial in the planning process?

The LA County Board of Supervisors is now considering approving construction Centennial — but nothing is finalized. You can still help stop it.

The Board will be holding a public hearing at 9:30 a.m. on December 11, 2018. The hearing will be at 500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, California, 90012. Please join us! You can also take action now.

What should happen?

Far-flung sprawl developments on environmentally important habitat are dangerously inappropriate as California grapples with the hazards of climate change. The county should focus on permitting developments that increase L.A. County’s sustainability and affordable housing to improve residents’ quality of life while protecting the planet. Because Centennial’s proposal no longer fits the needs of county residents, the planning commissioners or supervisors should send this project back to the drawing board.

To find out more, contact the Center's Ileene Anderson (phone: 323-490-0223), J.P. Rose (phone: 213-785-5406) or Ash Lauth (phone: 510-844-7135).