CRED sues Saratoga over Masson Estates

SARATOGA — Citizens for Responsible and Equitable Development filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the City of Saratoga’s approval of Masson Estates, a 25-home Builder’s Remedy project on Pierce Road in the city’s western hills.

The verified petition, CRED v. City of Saratoga, et al., was entered in Santa Clara Superior Court as Case No. 26CV503751. The City and City Council are named as respondents. The developer, Chateau Masson, LLC, and William Frank Hirschman are named as real parties in interest.

City Council voted 5–0 on August 19 to grant the applicant’s appeal and reverse a July Planning Commission denial. The city’s environmental report found significant and unavoidable impacts on emergency access, emergency response, evacuation, and wildfire. The site is in a CAL FIRE Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. CRED says those documented harms are why it went to court.

The petition asks a judge to review whether the approval was lawful. It cites the California Environmental Quality Act, local planning and subdivision rules, the Saratoga Municipal Code, and the California Constitution’s safety provisions. A petition is not a court ruling. CRED has not predicted a judgment or a reversal of the project.

The case is limited to Masson Estates and the City. Other Builder’s Remedy files, including the county Mountain Winery proposal nearby, remain on CRED’s project tracker and are not part of this caption.

CRED posted the petition and a September 18 press statement. Press inquiries: Sabrina Venskus, venskus@lawsv.com.

To follow the case, subscribe on this site. This note will be updated when a hearing is set or the City files a response. Donations to the Public Safety & Accountability Campaign are unrestricted; CRED says a gift does not purchase an outcome in court.