Anaheim City Council Denies Luxury Apartment Project in Severe Fire Hazard Zone, Citing Fire Risk and Developer Conduct

In October 2024, the Anaheim City Council voted 5-2 to deny SALT Development LLC’s (“SALT”) “Hills Preserve” project in Anaheim Hills, which would have resulted in the construction of 500 luxury apartments despite significant risks to the local community due to geologic hazards and inadequately mitigated wildfire and evacuation hazards

Prior to the City Council hearing, Chatten-Brown Law Group submitted written comments on behalf of concerned community members and residents of Anaheim Hills, extensively detailing the project’s violations of the California Environmental Quality Act and the impropriety of SALT’s conduct, including SALT’s thinly veiled threats and attempts to force the City to approve the project without exercising its lawful discretion. This comment letter was one of many submitted to the City Council, which ultimately concluded that the safety risks were too severe. Councilwoman Natalie Meeks stated, “Safety needs to be our highest priority. It’s not the right place. It’s a severe fire hazard zone, and you can’t put that many people there and it really is only one way out.” Another Councilwoman, Natalie Rubalcava, added, “I don’t really take kindly to threats.”

The City Council’s vote affirmed both the responsibility and ability of local governments to deny Projects that will create dangerous conditions to health and safety, especially in very high fire severity areas with constrained evacuation routes.

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