A group of conservationists has sued the city of Newport Beach in hopes of blocking plans to build a park access road through Banning Ranch, a large chunk of coastal open space on West Coast Highway.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Orange County Superior Court, the Banning Ranch Conservancy seeks to hold up plans for Sunset Ridge Park in West Newport. The group claims that plans for an access road for the park through neighboring Banning Ranch will pave the way for future development of the area.
Members also claim the city did not follow state environmental and planning laws in their approval of the project.
“Banning Ranch is a terribly important asset — it’s the last piece of open space in Orange County that hasn’t been developed — it’s what we call nature’s last stand,” said Steven Ray, executive director of the Banning Ranch Conservancy. “We’re very concerned about protecting it, preserving it and restoring it.”
