Trailer Park Developer Sues City for $50 Million

This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9.

The owners of Village Trailer Park have filed a lawsuit against the city that seeks more than $50 million in damages and threatens to shut down the park unless a development agreement for the site is re-approved, the Santa Monica LookOut reported.

The suit was filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to the LookOut. The case reportedly center's on the Santa Monica City Council's December decision to overturn its earlier approval of a development agreement for 25,000 square feet of retail space and 377 apartments at the trailer park.

According to the local news website:

The suit maintains that the action was illegal because, though the Council has 31 days after an ordinance approving a [development agreement] is passed to change its mind, it must follow the same steps required for passing the ordinance.

An ordinance must go before the Council twice, for a first and a second reading, before it is approved.

"I believe that the City Council knows full well that the action at the December 11 hearing cannot undo the City’s commitments,” Village Trailer Park co-owner Marc Luzzatto told the Lookout. "It’s just not fair to lead us down the path for six years and cause us to spend huge sums of money and lose so much money operating the park and then take away the City’s agreement."

The development agreement approval was nixed after six years of negotiations when two new City Council members—Ted Winterer and Tony Vazquez—were installed, replacing former Mayor Richard Bloom, who had voted in favor of the development agreement in November and Bobby Shriver, who had abstained. 

Winterer and Vazquez joined McKeown and councilwoman Gleam Davis in voting 4-3 in favor of reopening negotiations with the property owner in the hopes of securing more affordable housing at the site.

For the full story on the Village Trailer Park lawsuit, click over to surfsantamonica.com.

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