June 16, 2024 - SEASIDE, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity and LandWatch Monterey County sued the city of Seaside last Thursday for approving a general plan update that failed to fully consider the environmental harms of future development.

The lawsuit, filed in Monterey County Superior Court, says that the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act by planning a development on sensitive wildlife habitat and without considering available water supply and the climate crisis.

“No city in California should make long-term development plans without first factoring in the environmental consequences but Seaside has done exactly that,” said Aruna Prabhala, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The climate and extinction crises we face today are serious and worsening. This isn’t the time to flout the environmental protection laws that compel decisionmakers to carefully weigh the harms of their land-use plans.”

In May, the Seaside City Council approved a general plan update that designates more than 600 acres of the Former Fort Ord military base for a residential and commercial development. The property, known as Seaside East, is home to the California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, Monterey gilia and many other imperiled and special status plant and animal species. In approving the general plan, which lays out Seaside’s vision for development through 2040, the city failed to adequately assess and mitigate the harms of developing this sensitive site.

“Seaside’s own analysis shows that it does not need to develop the Seaside East property to meet its housing and employment needs,” said Michael DeLapa, executive director of LandWatch.

The lawsuit also alleges the city did not adequately analyze the greenhouse gas emissions associated with this development or study any alternatives as mandated by state law. The conservation organizations raised their concerns in numerous comment letters and public hearings prior to the city’s approval of the plan.