The fight over Valley’s Edge in Chico isn’t over.
The legal team representing the project’s developer has filed a pre-lawsuit claim against the city accusing it of violating a state housing law.
Elkins Kalt is the Los Angeles-based law office representing the developer’s LLC called Believe in Chico. Jackson McNeil is a land use attorney at Elkins Kalt.
“Believe in Chico LLC intends to file a lawsuit in the near future invalidating the referendums that reversed the land use approvals for the Valley's Edge project in March of last year and hopes to obtain a court order invalidating the referendums,” McNeil said.
S.B. 330, named the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, keeps cities from getting in the way of new housing construction projects.
“Believe in Chico LLC looks forward to vindicating its rights and bringing forward a well-designed project to the City of Chico that will help address the region’s housing crisis."Jackson McNeil, land use attorney at Elkins Kalt
The bill text highlights the high demand of housing despite a much lower supply of it. It cites the impact on housing markets from the destruction of homes due to wildfire and rent increases as some problems the law aims to address.
The Southern California Association of Governments says the law strengthens the Housing Accountability Act, which says housing plans that comply with local zoning laws and ordinances generally cannot be rejected.
Believe in Chico LLC’s claim focuses on the referendum Measures O and P, which were voted down by Chico residents during the 2024 primaries. That action barred the Valley’s Edge project from coming to fruition.
But now, developers hope to continue the original pursuit of Valley’s Edge.
“Believe in Chico LLC looks forward to vindicating its rights and bringing forward a well-designed project to the City of Chico that will help address the region’s housing crisis,” McNeil said.
“They just released the new fire severity maps for Butte County, and large portions of this project are in the high severity risk area. We need to plan for today, in the future, not 20 or 40 years ago.”Mark Stemen, Chico State professor of geography and planning
Chico State professor Mark Stemen said the project is not the type of housing project the city needs. He also said the currently empty land where developers planned Valley’s Edge is important for the safety of Chico.
“This development really is rooted in the late 20th century. We need to bring it to the modern times,” Stemen said. “They just released the new fire severity maps for Butte County, and large portions of this project are in the high severity risk area. We need to plan for today, in the future, not 20 or 40 years ago.”
The claim filed by Belief in Chico LLC proposes a collaborative and amicable solution with Chico.
“We don't want this to be an adversarial process with the city,” McNeil said. “We are willing to explore other options that would resolve this matter.”
Chico’s city attorney declined to comment on the case citing sensitivities surrounding pending litigation.
