Activists score major victory in stopping development on Newport Beach coast

For 18 years, Sierra Club, the Banning Ranch Conservancy and other activists have been fighting a residential, hotel and retail development on 400 coastal acres in Newport Beach known as Banning Ranch. The argument was that the city didn't adequately review the environmental implications of the proposal. On Thursday, the California Supreme Court agreed.

Here's what the Los Angeles Times said about the high court's ruling:

"The suit, filed in 2012, alleged the project’s environmental impact report was inadequate and that the city violated its general plan by failing to work with the California Coastal Commission to identify wetlands and environmentally sensitive habitats at Banning Ranch. The lawsuit made its way through lower courts until it ended up with the state Supreme Court." The decision comes in response to the lawsuit filed by the Banning Ranch Conservancy.

The Sierra Club will now have the opportunity to continue to promote acquisition and preservation of Banning Ranch, a former oil field site that has been fenced off for years and represents one of the last remaining coastal parcels in Southern California. 

The Club and activists will have an opportunity to make sure the City of Newport Beach fully recognizes the environmental review of the California Coastal Commission staff. The agency earlier rejected a permit submited to develop a portion of Banning Ranch.

To learn more, click on the Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force.