Supervisors OK Factory Outlet Mall Near Gorman

Despite opposition from environmental groups and a governmental advisory body, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved a giant factory outlet complex near rural Gorman.

The Sierra Club and other environmental groups have vigorously opposed the proposed 90-store Quail Lake Associates complex, saying it will bring the traffic and pollution woes of urban Los Angeles into the scenic area bordering Kern County.

This week, the Southern California Assn. of Governments, which advises county agencies, also came out against the proposed complex north of the junction of the Golden State Freeway and California 138.

In a Feb. 9 letter, SCAG advised the California Regional Water Quality Control Board against giving the project the necessary water quality permits, saying its negative impact on an area known for its pristine preserves of wildflowers and as part of a condor recovery program outweigh the jobs and tax benefits that the county would gain.

Nevertheless, after county lawyers told the supervisors that SCAG is merely an advisory body, the board voted 3 to 1 to approve the 325,000-square-foot outlet after brief discussion and some dissent.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the area, cited strong community support for the project and its approval by the county’s Regional Planning Commission after a series of hearings.

“It has strong support from the local schools; it will provide job opportunities and it will enhance the economic climate in northern Los Angeles County,” Antonovich said.

Factory outlets often offer seconds and discontinued merchandise at substantial savings over shopping malls and other retail outlets.

The project would include a shopping mall, an 80-room motel, at least three restaurants, two gas stations and a small convenience market. Antonovich said 89 of 125 community responses received by the supervisors endorsed the project. He also said it would not harm wildflower habitats and the recovering condor population in nearby Los Padres National Forest.

Supervisor Ed Edelman voted against the project, saying: “It’s too large an urban intrusion into a rural area. I don’t think it belongs there.”

Supervisor Gloria Molina abstained after also questioning the benefits of bringing the retail outlet to Gorman, a collection of fast-food restaurants and gas stations best known as a road stop for motorists.

Developers of the project, McArthur/Glen Group, have been quietly engaged in a race against a competing developer across the county line in Lebec, which is seeking Kern County approval to build an outlet complex.

“We are obviously pleased” by the board’s action, said Kenny N. Smith, vice president of development for McArthur/Glen.

He said that developers plan to break ground on the $30-million outlet in the fall so it can open the following spring, and that the retail outlet stores alone will generate $1.8 million in taxes a year and create 900 full- and part-time jobs.

Smith said he could not name clients yet, but said the company’s facility in Gilroy has attracted such big-name retail stores as Nike, Liz Claiborne and Anne Klein.

The outlet hopes to attract visitors from around Los Angeles by charging far less than retail stores. for merchandise. But foes said the outlet would attract too many cars--as many as 25,000 a day.

Opponents also said the project could pose a safety hazard because it is too close to the San Andreas Fault.

“I think it is a very ill-advised development that does substantial destruction to the environment, violating every tenet of planning principles that the county has at least given lip service to,” said Arthur K. Snyder, a lobbyist who said he was representing several environmental groups. Some Quail Lake proponents have suggested that the former Los Angeles city councilman opposed the project to help the Kern County project’s developer, but Snyder on Thursday denied working for the competitor.

The competing developer, Ginsburg Craig Associates, plans to press ahead with its project, company partner Steve Craig said. He said the area can sustain two giant factory outlets.