For Immediate Release, June 23, 2014

Contact:  John Buse, Center for Biological Diversity, (323) 533-4416
Van Collinsworth, Preserve Wild Santee, (619) 258-7929
Rick Halsey, California Chaparral Institute, (760) 822-0029

Settlement Over San Diego's Castlerock Development Provides
Additional Protections for Wildlife, Habitat

SAN DIEGO, Calif.— Three conservation groups today settled their lawsuit challenging the Castlerock project, a 430-home residential development to be located on 203 acres near Mission Trails Regional Park on the northern edge of the city of San Diego. San Diego approved the development in October 2013.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Preserve Wild Santee and California Chaparral Institute reached an agreement with developer Pardee Homes resolving the groups’ environmental concerns. With the settlement Pardee agreed to improve the Castlerock project to ensure protections for Quail Canyon Creek and make additional land available for permanent preservation, with the potential for further expansion of Mission Trails Regional Park and the San Diego River Park.

“With Pardee’s agreement to avoid the most sensitive parts of the Castlerock site and to expand regional open space, this settlement will benefit the public, wildlife and habitat,” said John Buse, a senior attorney with the Center.

The three environmental groups filed a lawsuit in November 2013 challenging the project under the California Environmental Quality Act and city of San Diego environmental policies.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 775,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


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