An appellate court has denied an appeal from the developer looking to build a massive, 3,008-home project in Santee known as Fanita Ranch.In a June 4 ruling, the appellate court ruled that the city of Santee and developer HomeFed pushed the project through despite knowing the project violated state planning and environmental laws. The ruling now puts the massive residential development, which was first proposed in 2017, on hold, once again, and likely for good, barring any petition to the California Supreme Court.In its June 4 ruling, appellate court judges found Santee and HomeFed improperly tried to push the project through without amending its General Plan. The General Plan had allowed for the construction of 1,395 homes on 2,638 acres in Northern Santee.HomeFed Fanita Ranch first proposed the project in 2017. As the developer looked to obtain approval for the project, the city worked to amend its building code to allow the developer to build approximately 1,700 homes more than what the land was zoned for. In 2020, the city amended the General Plan and approved the project. However, opposition increased, and residents quickly approved a ballot measure, known as Measure N, which required voter approval for any development that increases what is allowed by the city’s General Plan.The city and HomeFed, however, did not back down. Months after Measure N passed, the Santee City Council passed an emergency ordinance, creating the “Essential Housing Program.” The program allowed city staff to certify certain developments as essential, thus allowing the city and developers to bypass the General Plan requirements without a public hearing and without any opportunities for the public to appeal. HomeFed Fanita Ranch, then resubmitted permits for what was an identical project. Using the Essential Housing Program, the city approved the project. A group calling itself Preserve Wild Santee, along with the Center for Biological Diversity, Endangered Habitats League, and California Chaparral Institute, sued the city and HomeFed, alleging the project violated state planning and zoning laws, as well as violated the Elections Code through the use of the Essential Housing Program.In August 2024, a state court judge ruled in favor of the groups and against the project and ordered the city to rescind all permits and stop the project.While the city of Santee decided not to appeal, developer HomeFed did.In its June 4 ruling, the appellate court denied the appeal on all counts, other than the claim that the developer and the city violated election laws. “Except for the last, we reject each of HomeFed’s contentions. We agree that no Elections Code violation has been shown, but conclude the trial court did not err in concluding the City violated the State Planning and Zoning Law,” reads the appellate court decision.The city of Santee and attorneys for HomeFed did not respond to Times of San Diego’s request for comment. This article will be updated when, or if, either party does.
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