Shafter and Lennar push 1,200-home plan on contested high-speed rail corridor
The city of Shafter and developer Lennar are moving ahead with a 1,200-unit housing project on land slated for California’s high-speed rail line, prompting a clash with the rail authority.
A new housing development called Gossamer Grove, featuring 1,200 homes, is being advanced by Lennar in Shafter, a city near Bakersfield, on the same corridor earmarked for the state’s high-speed rail project. The plan includes amenities such as a picnic area, playground and dog-walking trails. Shafter’s mayor and other officials have historically pushed for the rail to be routed outside city limits and now assert that local housing statutes require them to approve the project, noting the rail authority has not yet purchased the land.
The rail agency, which settled a 2018 environmental lawsuit with the city, opposes the proposed map but said it is open to talks and could file a lawsuit. Lennar’s entitlement director said the company has exhausted negotiations and is ready to proceed. Construction of the rail segment between Merced and Bakersfield is still years away, with the earliest projected completion in September 2034.
Why it matters
The dispute could delay or reshape a major state infrastructure project while affecting local housing supply.
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