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Neighbors, trustees hear threats of litigation over 20‑foot solar canopies at Foothill Technology High
Summary
Residents living behind Foothill Technology High School told the Ventura Unified board that newly installed 20‑foot solar canopies were erected without neighborhood notice and that they plan to pursue legal remedies unless the district moves or redesigns the arrays. The board acknowledged the complaint and said staff is working to explore alternate placements and next steps.
Neighbors of Foothill Technology High School urged the Ventura Unified School District board on Tuesday to require the district and its contractor to move or redesign solar-canopy arrays they say were installed without notice and that now loom over backyards.
"You started this project by cutting down the trees behind our property," neighbor Marilyn Cook told the board, describing metal structures that she said began going up June 13. "We were never notified and you didn't apply for your notice of exemption until the second week of July after the metal structures for their arrays were already built." She said the late filing gives neighbors 180 days to challenge the project in court and that most online commenters supported the residents' request for relocation.
Wendy Van Horn, who lives directly behind Foothill at 115 Taloma Drive, told trustees a 20‑foot structure "looms over our backyards like something out of a science fiction movie" and asked the board to require the contractor to find an alternative location on campus. Patrick Van Horn invited trustees to visit neighbors' yards and see what the arrays look like from private property, saying panels five feet from the dividing wall reduce neighbors' property values.
District staff acknowledged the complaints in public comment and in the meeting's earlier announcement: President Calvin Peterson read a notice that the district had received a "threat of litigation" from community members adjacent to Foothill. Board members and senior staff said they had met with neighbors and district staff were continuing to pursue solutions. Superintendent Dr. Antonio Castro and other staff indicated they would return with additional information and that legal counsel and staff are involved in next steps.
Trustees did not take formal action to reverse or pause the project during the meeting. Several residents said they preferred relocation of the arrays to the north side of the campus or to a front-of-school site on Day Road, while others asked for the arrays to be lowered or built parallel to existing south-facing rows. Neighbor speakers also raised safety and clearance questions tied to vegetation and fire codes.
The board's agenda included a closed‑session item described as conference with legal counsel and public‑employee discipline; trustees noted they would return from closed session to report any action. For now, neighbors said they would seek remedies through continued dialogue with staff and, if necessary, the legal window they said was available for a challenge.
The board did not vote on the Foothill arrays during the meeting; staff committed to follow up with more detailed options, a clearer project timeline and any permitting documentation requested by residents.
