KERN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS UNANIMOUSLY REAFFIRMS APPROVAL OF GRAPEVINE AT TEJON RANCH

Master planned community will include 12,000 residential units and 5.1 million square feet of commercial development 

Bakersfield, CA (December 10, 2019) – By a 5-0 vote, the Kern County Board of Supervisors unanimously reapproved the development of Grapevine at Tejon Ranch, a new master planned community in southern Kern County.  The community will be located adjacent to the Tejon Ranch Commerce Center near the base of the foothills in the southern San Joaquin Valley.  The Supervisors reviewed and approved a Supplemental Re-circulated Environmental Impact Report prepared in response to a court ruling requiring additional study and mitigation of potential traffic impacts.

“Three years after the initial vote, we are very pleased the Kern County Board of Supervisors has once again approved these entitlements for Grapevine at Tejon Ranch,” said Gregory S. Bielli, President and CEO of Tejon Ranch Company.  “This new community will support the thousands of jobs already in the area and will serve as a catalyst for further economic development and job creation in the region.”

The development plan for Grapevine at Tejon Ranch calls for 12,000 residential units and 5.1 million square feet of commercial space.  The community will develop along both sides of Interstate 5 and will provide nearby residential opportunities for the thousands of workers currently employed at businesses within the Tejon Ranch Commerce Center, as well as support the attraction of future employers to further grow the employment base at Grapevine.

Sustainable Development

Residents of Grapevine will enjoy a state-of-the-art community and active lifestyle in a beautiful foothill setting.  50% or more of the community’s energy supply will be generated on site by renewable sources, consistent with Tejon Ranch’s commitment to sustainable development.  The community will be designed to promote water efficiency and will be developed as an extremely walkable community, with an extensive network of bike and walking trails, and with key retail and commercial uses being located within close-proximity to residential areas.

The Supervisors were effusive in their praise for the community, noting its environmental sensitivity, the care and planning that went into its design, and the role Grapevine will play in the future of Kern County.

“This project is a cutting-edge project and represents the opportunity for people to live, work and recreate in close proximity to each other,” said Zack Scrivner, Second District Supervisor.

Community Details

The community plan for Grapevine involves 8,010-acres of the 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch. 4,200 acres within the plan is designated and zoned for residential, commercial and civic uses, including public services, education, and medical opportunities.  These uses will be grouped into six different mixed-use villages, which will be developed over an expected 20-year time period.  3,800 acres within the plan is designated as open space, with agriculture, recreation, and grazing as the primary uses, and will connect to 240,000-acres of open space and recreation on Tejon Ranch.

 

Centered in Tejon Ranch’s rich and historic legacy and offering almost unlimited opportunities for individuals, families and companies, Grapevine represents a true expression of Kern County’s brand of “Grounded and Boundless.”

 

It’s no secret that Bakersfield and Kern County have some of the hardest working people in the nation. It’s a place where hard work, sheer grit, and determination have been harnessed to feed and fuel a nation. From our award-winning, nationally recognized schools and universities, our deep commitment to agriculture, and a culture that goes back decades (we even invented our own sound), Kern County is No. 1 in oil production and agriculture in the nation. We’re attracting more Millennials to the workforce than ever before. We’re ready to take on new challenges.

Tejon Ranch is proud to be a part of this success. From our job-creating initiatives with Kern County to our increased capacity at Tejon Ranch Commerce Center to attract new business and increase our competitiveness, to building a community and new communities and housing we’re helping add our knowledge and our legacy.

We look forward to continuing to help build a better future for Kern County, Bakersfield—and for all of California.

On Monday, September 9, Kern County, the city of Bakersfield, and local business partners revealed new brands as part of an integrated effort to spur economic development, tourism and talent attraction in Kern County and Greater Bakersfield.

This is an effort that we strongly support and the end result—focusing on the better and boundless opportunities in Kern County—speak to the boundless opportunities at Tejon Ranch. We aspire to establish the highest corporate standards in all of our operations, guided by our core values of quality, environmental stewardship, and visionary innovation.

Bakersfield and Kern County—and Tejon Ranch— have a great story, a rich history, abundant natural resources, unique cultural gems and welcoming, authentic people. Here are some of the ways we are a strong part of the community and offer opportunities for organizations and individuals alike.

These are just a few examples of how we are embedded into this wonderful community. We’re excited about the new brands, the new look, the energy and the possibilities they bring to all of us. Tejon Ranch is proud to call Kern County home. Let’s get to work!

 

(Tejon Ranch, CA) On Tuesday, July 30, 2019, Tejon Ranch Co. (NYSE:TRC) will have the honor of ringing the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange, in celebration of its 20th anniversary as a member of the Exchange.  At 4:00 pm Eastern Time/ 1:00 pm Pacific Time, Tejon Ranch Co. President and CEO Gregory S. Bielli will ring the bell, marking the end of the trading day on Wall Street.

He will be joined on the bell podium by two other Tejon Ranch Co. executives: Allen Lyda, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Barry Zoeller, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations.

Tejon Ranch Co. joined the New York Stock Exchange on July 28, 1999, having moved from the American Stock Exchange, where its stock had traded the previous 25 years.  Tejon Ranch Co. incorporated as a public company in 1936.

The company’s principal asset is the 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch.  Located 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles south of Bakersfield, Tejon Ranch is the largest contiguous piece of private property in California.  Throughout its 175-year history, Tejon Ranch has played a significant role in the development of both California and the nation.

Situated at the center of California, connecting both north and south, Tejon Ranch is strategically located.  It’s home to vital transportation and communications corridors, oil and gas pipelines, electrical transmission lines and more.  17 miles of the State Water Project crosses over or tunnels through the Ranch. The largest pumping plant in the system, critical to delivering water to Southern California, is also located on Tejon.  Interstate 5, and before that, Highway 99, the Ridge Route, the Los Angeles – Stockton Road, the Butterfield Stage Coach line, currently pass or have passed through Tejon Ranch’s western boundaries.

Though a diversified company, with separate divisions dealing with agriculture, oil, water and minerals, ranching and other ranch operations, Tejon Ranch Co.’s primary focus is real estate development, both commercial and residential.  Combined, those developments entail nearly 35,000 homes and more than 35 million square feet of commercial space, with opportunity for more in the future.

The Tejon Ranch Commerce Center and Outlets at Tejon, located at the junction of I-5 and Highway 99, have become a destination for those traveling north and south through California.  The central location directly on Interstate 5 has proven ideal for companies distributing their goods throughout California and the west.  The Commerce Center is already home to distribution centers for IKEA, Caterpillar, Dollar General, Famous Footwear, and L’Oréal USA’s professional salon distribution operation, Salon Centric, is in the process of relocating to Tejon from the nearby LA basin.  Nearly 6 million square feet of commercial/industrial space has been developed to date, creating 4,000 jobs, with 14 million square feet, and thousands of additional jobs to go.

On the residential side, to address both the current housing shortage in California and to prepare for future population growth, Tejon Ranch is developing three master planned mixed-use residential communities, two in Kern County—Grapevine and Mountain Village– and the other in Los Angeles County–Centennial.  Combined, the three communities will include a wide mix of housing types and price points to appeal to a wide variety of geographic and demographic market segments.

In 2008, Tejon Ranch Co. set the model for private conservation when it signed the Tejon Ranch Conservation and Land Use Agreement.  This landmark agreement with five major environmental resource groups, Audubon California, Endangered Habitats League, Natural Resources Defense Council, Planning and Conservation League, and the Sierra Club, calls for Tejon Ranch to permanently conserve 240,000 acres of its property – 90% of the Ranch.  The acreage includes millions of oaks and other trees, which play an important role in the sequestration of carbon.  In 2009, the agreement was recognized with California’s most prestigious environmental honor, the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award.

Tejon Ranch takes its responsibility to be a good corporate citizen seriously.  In 2008, the Ranch donated 500 acres to the National Cemetery Association for the building of a new national veterans cemetery. The Bakersfield National Cemetery opened in 2009 and has subsequently been recognized as a National Shrine.

 

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About Tejon Ranch Company (NYSE:  TRC)

Tejon Ranch Co. (NYSE: TRC) is a growth-oriented, diversified real estate development and agribusiness company whose principal asset is its 270,000-acre historic land holding located approximately 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 25 miles south of Bakersfield. Celebrating more 175 years of history, Tejon Ranch is positioned for growth with its fully operational commercial/industrial real estate development and three master planned communities on the horizon.

More information about Tejon Ranch Co. can be found online at http://www.tejonranch.com

CONTACT:    Barry Zoeller, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, (661) 663-4212, bzoeller@tejonranch.com

May 28, 2019

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), an extremist environmental organization headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, has, as expected, announced it has filed a legal challenge over Los Angeles County’s approval of the specific plan for Centennial at Tejon Ranch, a master planned mixed use residential community.

Centennial is part of the overall Tejon Ranch master conservation and land use plan, an agreement Tejon Ranch Co. successfully negotiated with respected environmental organizations such as Audubon California, Endangered Habitats League, Natural Resources Defense Council, Planning and Conservation League, and the Sierra Club.  As required by this plan, 90% of the Ranch’s 270,000 acres will be permanently conserved, with the remaining 10% reserved for development in areas with both existing infrastructure and lower resource values—as determined by leading scientific experts.

Centennial will be built in one of those lower-resource-value areas and the site is already zoned for residential and commercial development as part of the Antelope Valley Plan approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2015.

Notably, CBD sued Los Angeles County to overturn the approval of the Antelope Valley Plan but lost at both the superior and appellate court level.  To sue again over the same issues is unconscionable and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

To stand in the way of an approved development that will bring thousands of much-needed price-attainable homes to Southern California families who are struggling to find housing they can afford is yet one more stark example of CBD’s “my-way-or-the-highway” mentality.

CBD’s intransigence is not surprising.  It participated in the negotiations that led to the historic Tejon Ranch Conservation & Land Use Agreement that permanently conserves 90% of Tejon Ranch—240,000 acres, only to, after participating in the negotiations for more than a year, walk away from the table just before the agreement was reached.

It’s worth noting that all the participants in the negotiations indicated in advance that the outcome of negotiations would result in some real estate development on Tejon Ranch, and it was representatives from CBD who proposed the 90% conservation–10% development ratio.  Now, CBD says it’s opposed to conservation agreements.  Clearly, CBD would rather retain the opportunity to sue (and presumably collect attorney’s fees on the chance it was to prevail) rather than compromising to achieve a guaranteed positive conservation outcome.

It’s clear that this latest lawsuit by CBD is simply another blatant attempt to delay development of Centennial, which has already been subject to four environmental impact reports:  two as part of its inclusion in the Southern California Association of Government’s Sustainable Community Strategies, another as part of the Antelope Valley Area Plan, which was litigated and upheld twice, and the latest with the approval of the specific plan.

For CBD to raise the issue of wildfires, as it did during the Centennial hearings and in their complaint, exposes CBD’s hypocrisy.  CBD opposed Governor Newsom’s emergency declaration streamlining 35 wildfire mitigation projects that would help protect 2.2 million Californians in over 200 communities from future wildfires, claiming it would undercut environmental protections.  CBD said the best measure to protect homes against wildfire isn’t thin forests and remove dead and dying brush from nearby at-risk communities, but to retrofit houses to current building standards and create defensible space around them.

 

But the prescription that CBD claims is the best defense against wildfire is exactly the plan called for in Centennial.  Though, at Centennial, instead of needing to retrofit homes, houses and other buildings will be constructed from the very beginning based on the most stringent fire codes and building standards in place at the time.  These plans have been reviewed and approved by all appropriate State and County Fire authorities.  The defensible space standards at Centennial also far exceed state requirements.

The tactics employed by the extremists at CBD to litigate, delay and obstruct, are a significant contributing factor to the housing crisis in California.  After all, the co-founder of CBD, Kieran Suckling, has stated that a primary goal of the organization is to inflict severe economic pain.  As CBD pursues its agenda, that economic pain is ultimately being felt by countless numbers of Californians who find adequate housing increasingly unavailable and unaffordable.

For the reasons stated above, and more, we believe the lawsuit is completely without merit, and as we have with the seven prior legal actions CBD has filed in an attempt to prevent us from doing our part to help Governor Newsom achieve his goal of the building the housing needed to solve California’s housing crisis, we will work with Los Angeles County to vigorously defend ourselves in this latest legal action as well.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  April 30, 2019

Master planned community to positively impact housing and job creation in Southern California

(Los Angeles, CA)  The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today gave final approval to the specific plan for Centennial at Tejon Ranch, a master planned mixed-use residential community located in the northwest Los Angeles County section of Tejon Ranch.  Centennial addresses the serious need to develop additional housing that’s within the reach of middle-class families in Southern California.   The specific plan for Centennial includes 19,333 residential units and more than 10.1 million square feet of commercial space.  A full 18% of the housing units at Centennial will be officially designated affordable units.

Centennial is part of the historic Tejon Ranch Conservation and Land Use Agreement that conserves 90% of Tejon Ranch property—240,000 acres, and limits development to only the ten percent of the property that’s located in the western-most region of the ranch.

Back on December 11, 2018, by a vote of 4-1, the Board of Supervisors affirmed the recommendation of the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission and Department of Regional Planning that Centennial be approved.  Los Angeles County uses a two-step process for land use approvals and today’s action included approval of specific ordinances, resolutions, and findings of fact related to the Board’s initial vote last December.

Located in the Western Economic Opportunity Zone designated in the Antelope Valley Area Plan and the Los Angeles County General Plan, Centennial, in addition to much-needed housing, is projected to create more than 23,000 permanent jobs on site and nearly 25,000 construction jobs.  In addition, Tejon Ranch has made a commitment that at least 30% of the construction jobs will be filled by people living in the local area.

“We again want to thank the Board of Supervisors for its support of Centennial, which is an important part of our vision to engage in the environmentally-sustainable development of a portion of Tejon Ranch,” said Gregory S. Bielli, President and CEO of Tejon Ranch Co.  “California, and Los Angeles County in particular, is suffering from a severe housing deficit.  Our regional development plan will help address our state’s housing crisis, create jobs, and provide additional opportunities for businesses to locate in an area where their employees can afford to live; all while preserving 240,000 acres of open space within Tejon Ranch.”

Tejon Ranch Co.’s (NYSE: TRC) regional development plan includes nearly 35,000 housing units and more than 35 million square feet of commercial space, all divided amongst four master planned developments:  the Tejon Ranch Commerce Center, the company’s growing commercial/industrial center, and three planned residential communities—Mountain Village, Grapevine and Centennial.

“This is an important step forward for Tejon Ranch Co.,” Bielli added.  “Centennial is the fourth and most recent of our master planned developments to receive legislative approval.  We look forward to advancing each of these projects as we execute our plan to develop ten percent, and conserve 90% of Tejon Ranch.”

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About Tejon Ranch Co.
Tejon Ranch Co. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TRC. Tejon Ranch is a diversified real estate development and agribusiness company, whose principal asset is its 270,000-acre land holding located approximately 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles south of Bakersfield. More information about Tejon Ranch Co. can be found online at www.tejonranch.com.

CONTACT:

Barry Zoeller, VP, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, Tejon Ranch Co.

(661) 663-4212

bzoeller@tejonranch.com

 

On April 25, 2019, we were made aware, via a press release issued by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), that it has filed a lawsuit against the US. Fish & Wildlife Service challenging the 2013 approval of a Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan covering the upland regions of Tejon Ranch.

The lawsuit was filed a full six years after the approval and just four days prior to the April 29, 2019 expiration of the time period in which to file a legal challenge.

The press release falsely claims the approval by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service authorized Tejon Ranch Co. to build its Mountain Village at Tejon Ranch community. That is not true. That authorization came from the Kern County Board of Supervisors, as provided by law, following many years of outreach, dialogue and overwhelming community support.  Approval of a Habitat Conservation Plan resolved a lawsuit between U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Tejon Ranch regarding development and conservation activities on Tejon following the Service’s release of condors near Tejon Ranch from the captive condor breeding program at the San Diego Zoo.

CBD and the other named groups filed an environmental lawsuit against Kern County’s approval of the Tejon Mountain Village project back in 2009 and lost in both the superior and appellate state courts. They are simply trying to use a different tactic to re-litigate issues they’ve already lost on. This is typical of an organization described as a “lawsuit factory” which spends more money on lawyers than it does on scientists and more time in court than it does on actual proactive conservation.

CBD was given the opportunity to be proactively involved in the conservation of Tejon Ranch as it was a party to the negotiations that led to the Tejon Ranch Conservation & Land Use Agreement that permanently conserves 90% of Tejon Ranch—240,000 acres. Instead, after participating in the negotiations for more than a year, they walked away from the table just before the agreement was reached.

It’s worth noting that all the participants in the negotiations agreed in advance that the outcome of negotiations would result in some real estate development on Tejon Ranch, and it was representatives from CBD who proposed the 90% conservation–10% development ratio.  In a complete reversal of that position, CBD’s Ileene Anderson was recently quoted as saying the organization prefers to retain the opportunity to sue, and risk losing, rather than compromising to achieve a guaranteed positive conservation outcome.

It’s clear this latest lawsuit by CBD is simply another blatant attempt to delay development of Mountain Village, which has already received numerous approvals from local, state and multiple federal agencies.  Resolution of the CBD lawsuit is not required to start or complete development of Mountain Village.

The tactics employed by CBD to litigate, delay and obstruct, are a significant contributing factor to the housing crisis in California.  After all, the co-founder of CBD, Kieran Suckling, says a primary goal of the organization is to inflict severe economic pain.  As CBD pursues its agenda, that economic pain is ultimately being felt by countless numbers of Californians who find adequate housing increasingly unavailable and unaffordable.

We believe the lawsuit is without merit, and as we have with the number of other lawsuits CBD has filed in the past attempting to prevent us from exercising our legal private property rights, we will work with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to vigorously defend ourselves in this latest legal action as well.

 

We’re excited to launch a new video series today called On the Ranch with Barry Zoeller.

Each episode offers viewers a personal tour as Barry steps away from his desk and explores well-known and unknown parts of our Ranch. Amongst our rugged mountains, steep canyons, oak-covered rolling hills, and broad valleys, Barry takes viewers on tours of the Ranch that include snow-capped mountains, blooming almond trees, and other destinations deep within the Ranch that many viewers have never seen.

For our debut episode, get the inside look at our beautiful, blossoming almond trees and how they eventually produce delicious almonds (hint: bees).

With 270,000 acres, or 422 square miles, there will be lots to explore each episode! Join Barry as he takes you on fun and informing tours of Tejon Ranch, a land of legacy, bigger than life, rich in history, and blessed by nature.

We’ll be posting videos on the blog but you can also watch and subscribe from our YouTube page. 

Enjoy!

TEJON RANCH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 14, 2019– Tejon Ranch Co. (NYSE: TRC) today announced that it has agreed to terms on a lease with a company that will relocate its western US distribution operations from the Los Angeles area to the Tejon Ranch Commerce Center (TRCC) in the fourth quarter of this year. The company, which wishes to remain anonymous for the time being due to competitive reasons, will occupy approximately 390,000 square feet of space in a new 580,000-square-foot building TRC is developing in partnership with Majestic Realty Co. The new building represents the third partnership between TRC and Majestic Realty. Construction has commenced, and the building will be ready for occupancy in approximately eight months.

“This decision to move its western distribution warehouse from the Los Angeles area to TRCC underscores Tejon Ranch’s value as a proven and opportune place for companies wanting to locate and/or expand in California,” said Joseph N. Rentfro, executive vice president of real estate at Tejon Ranch Co. “Coming on the heels of L’Oréal USA’s decision last fall to move its professional salon distribution subsidiary, SalonCentric, from its Valencia facility to Tejon, it reinforces our location as a place where companies find great value in our compelling logistics model, our outstanding labor force, and where they have opportunity to grow and expand.”

“Majestic Realty is extremely pleased the partnership has been able to pre-lease a large portion of the new building we’re developing in partnership with Tejon Ranch Co.,” said Brett Tremaine, senior vice president at Majestic Realty Co. “Working in Tejon Ranch, the time required to deliver a building ready for occupancy is as efficient and expeditious a process as you’ll find anywhere in the state, and perhaps the country. And with L’Oréal, and now a second company moving up from Los Angeles, we believe many more companies currently located in the Los Angeles basin will want to avail themselves of the Tejon Ranch Commerce Center’s strategic location at the southern gateway to Kern County.”

“It makes perfect sense for growing companies located in Los Angeles to consider relocating operations to Tejon Ranch,” said John DeGrinis, SIOR, executive managing director of Newmark Knight Frank, who represented TRCC and the other party in this transaction. “As available space is at a premium in Los Angeles–and commanding premium prices–Tejon Ranch represents an attractive alternative for companies needing additional space and seeking value for their businesses.”

“TRCC’s central location with direct access to Interstate 5 allows companies to get their goods to market easily and quickly,” Rentfro added. “In addition, employees and professional drivers have access to a wide variety of adjacent amenities. And with total operating costs among the lowest in the state, TRCC gives companies opportunities to take their distribution operations to the next level.”

This newest tenant at TRCC imports goods for sale throughout the US and beyond and will therefore have opportunity to take advantage of TRCC’s status as a Foreign Trade Zone. All industrial sites within TRCC, totaling nearly 1,100 acres, are included in FTZ #276, which was re-established and expanded last year by the U.S. Department of Commerce in conjunction with Kern County. FTZ #276 is locally administered by the County of Kern and is one of the largest activated FTZs in California.

The Tejon Ranch Commerce Center is Tejon Ranch Co.’s 1,450-acre master planned commercial/industrial development located at the junction of Interstate 5 and Highway 99 in Kern County, about an hour north of the Los Angeles basin. It’s entitled for more than 20 million square feet of commercial and industrial space, with about 15 million square feet still available. In addition to the previously mentioned L’Oréal USA, the Commerce Center is also home to major distribution centers for IKEA, Famous Footwear, Dollar General (NYSE: DG), Vision Media and Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKDA2HVlgko&feature=youtu.be

 

You’re probably familiar with Taco Bell, Mountain Dew, EDS (and their famous herding cats commercial), Kia and Coke, but did you know they all have one thing in common? They’ve all produced and shot Super Bowl commercials here at Tejon Ranch.

And now, Tejon Ranch can add Budweiser to the mix. The ad, “Wind Never Felt Better,” rated one of the favorites of the evening, did an amazing job of tapping into emotions (amber waves of grain) and nostalgia (Bob Dylan’s classic song with the famous Clydesdales). Tejon Ranch’s natural beauty was the perfect backdrop to help the brewer get their powerful message seen and heard in a crowded field of other commercials.

There’s a reason big brands like Budweiser shoot their ads here, too. Tejon Ranch’s 270,000 acres offers the film industry some of the most diverse and beautiful locations found anywhere in the United States.

Film, television and advertising producers and directors in need of specific locations for filming or photography have used Tejon Ranch and its wide variety of environments. The land often doubles for the African savannah, European countryside, Midwest landscapes, rugged mountains, sweeping valleys, wildflower fields, vineyards, and other far-away places.

If you missed previous ads, here’s Taco Bell’s Lions, Mountain Dew’s Bad Cheetah, EDS’ classic Herding Cats, Coke’s Sleepwalking, and Kia’s commercial from 2017 starring Melissa McCarthy.

What’s in store for next year? Hopefully a better game for LA football fans and another stellar ad shot at Tejon Ranch.