Features

INDUSTRY — Conservationists have threatened a lawsuit to block the sale of a 2,533-acre wildlife corridor by the Boy Scouts of America to a city redevelopment agency. 

The city of Industry’s Urban Development Agency claims that it purchased the Firestone camp in rustic Tonner Canyon for $16.5 million to build a reservoir. The property, which is two miles outside city limits near Diamond Bar, also was sought by two environmental groups that offered $1.5 million more for the land before their proposals stalled. 

Environmentalists were hoping to purchase the 30-mile long property to preserve a wildlife corridor that stretches from northern Orange County to the hills in Whittier. 

Conservationists are considering a lawsuit claiming the city did not conduct a proper environmental review for a reservoir before buying the land. The land dispute also is being stoked by suspicion that the deal was influenced by business ties between the Boy Scouts board and the city. 

Scout officials deny any favoritism, but acknowledge that a member of the its executive board worked on the transaction on behalf of the redevelopment agency. According to documents and interviews obtained by the Los Angeles Times, John H. Semcken III, vice president of Majestic Realty Co., helped broker the $16.5 million purchase and lobbied fellow Scout board members to accept the offer.  

The newspaper reported Monday that Semcken, who is one of 25 volunteer vice chairmen for the nonprofit Los Angeles Council of the Boy Scouts of America, shared details about the property with his boss, Majestic owner Ed Roski Jr. 

Roski, who is also a developer, has built acres of industrial parks in conjunction with Industry’s redevelopment agency. 

“To me the key issue here is the city of Industry, working with Majestic, is using its influence on the Scout board to negate any deals (the conservationists) propose,” said Jeff Yann, chairman of the San Gabriel Valley Task Force of the Sierra Club. 

Yann and other environmentalists suspect that Roski will eventually build subdivisions on the land, which is at a juncture of growth from Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. 

Industry officials say they plan to build a reservoir that will hold up to 250,000 acre-feet of water. 

“What angers me is this whole idea that Roski is going to develop this thing,” said Industry Mayor Dave Winn. “And we have no intention to develop the area either. I’d like to put that notion to rest because I’m getting tired of it.” 

Semcken confirmed his involvement in the deal, but said it didn’t pose a conflict because he worked for free and didn’t vote to accept the offer. 

Boy Scout board members voted Nov. 16 to accept Industry’s bid for the land. The Yucaipa-based Wildlands Conservancy and the Wildlife Corridor Conservation Authority made $18 million offers, but both deals fell through.