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Deal is reached over Lake Arrowhead suit

05/31/2003

By KATIE E. ISMAEL
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

A lawsuit filed by a group of Lake Arrowhead residents naming the builder of a 41-home development and San Bernardino County has been settled, attorneys said Friday.

The suit, filed by Protect Lake Arrowhead Now, said county supervisors and planning commissioners should have conducted an environmental impact study on the proposed Patriot Homes project.

Ted Heyck, a part-time Lake Arrowhead resident and lawyer who filed the suit, said by telephone that the developer has agreed to make a contribution to the resident group as part of the settlement.

Though he did not disclose the amount of money because of a confidentiality agreement, he said "it's a sizable sum."

The money will be used, he said, to further Protect Lake Arrowhead Now's efforts to protect the lake, where the water level is 14 feet below normal.

A written statement from the developer's attorney says the developer agrees with the Lake Arrowhead group "that water levels in Lake Arrowhead have dropped unacceptably, and that immediate action is required to maintain the lake for continued enjoyment for future generations."

The developer "has agreed to support and help fund through this settlement the further activities of P.L.A.N., which are designed to promote awareness of water conservation in Lake Arrowhead," the statement says.

The attorney, Mark A. Ostoich, did not return telephone messages seeking comment Friday. Messages left for a county spokesman after hours were not returned.

As a result of the lawsuit and his group's lobbying, Heyck said in a letter Friday, the county Planning Department will require an environmental impact report be done by Howarden Homes for another planned lake-area development.

Reach Katie Ismael at (909) 806-3058 or kismael@pe.com