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El Granada family sues Coastal Commission

By Greg Thomas [ greg@hmbreview.com ]
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009 - 04:41:05 pm PDT

A family in El Granada filed suit against the California Coastal Commission Wednesday to retain a 143-acre piece of Coastside property without converting part of it to farmland.

Plaintiffs Dan and Denise Sterling sought to build a house on their land and, in applying for a building permit, hit a snag, according to a Pacific Legal Foundation news release issued Wednesday.

The release states that “the Coastal Commission will not grant them a building permit unless they give the state an agricultural easement over most of their property – more than 140 acres – and pledge that it will be forever dedicated for farming or cattle grazing.”

“In essence, the commission is trying to force the family into the farming or ranching business – and trying to coerce them into turning their property into perpetual open space, without being compensated a penny,” stated Harold Johnson, the Sterlings’ attorney, in an e-mail.

Calls to the Coastal Commission seeking comment were not immediately returned on Wednesday.

For more information on the case, visit www.pacificlegal.org.

 

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