-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, FY8bAkR2UoybNOdUG9LGEWryVCkH0AVx2buawffQ9I4ZKQEaMBmgiA6aqdywR+Qx Tkjnh2UIw+DHVIun76WjYg== 0000909518-05-000287.txt : 20060403 0000909518-05-000287.hdr.sgml : 20060403 20050429122358 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0000909518-05-000287 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: CORRESP PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 1 FILED AS OF DATE: 20050429 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: HOMEFED CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000833795 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: REAL ESTATE [6500] IRS NUMBER: 330304982 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: CORRESP BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1903 WRIGHT PLACE STREET 2: STE 220 CITY: CARLSBAD STATE: CA ZIP: 92008 BUSINESS PHONE: 7609188200 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1903 WRIGHT PLACE STREET 2: STE 220 CITY: CARLSBAD STATE: CA ZIP: 92008 CORRESP 1 filename1.txt WEIL, GOTSHAL & MANGES LLP 767 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10153 Telephone: (212) 310-8000 Facsimile: (212) 310-8007 April 28, 2005 TRANSMITTED VIA EDGAR: - ---------------------- Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Corporation Finance Office of Mergers and Acquisitions 450 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20549-0305 Attention: Steven Jacobs, Branch Chief Re: HomeFed Corporation Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 File No. 001-10153 Ladies and Gentlemen: We are writing on behalf of our client, HomeFed Corporation ("HomeFed"), to respond to the comments of the Staff set forth in the letter dated April 20, 2005 with respect to the above-referenced Form 10-K. For your convenience, the paragraph numbering of the responses below corresponds to the numbering in the comment letter. Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 - ---------------------------------------------- Financial Statements and Notes - ------------------------------ Note 1- Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, pages F-8 to F-10 - --------------------------------------------------------------------- Provision for Environmental Remediation, page F-9 - ------------------------------------------------- 1. We understand from your disclosure the environmental liability relates to 30 acres of undeveloped land. Additionally, your response to our comment indicates you tested the recoverability of $143,000 in book value for the "affected parcel". In a supplemental response, please explain your basis for determining this parcel to be the lowest level for which impairment is to be evaluated. In your response, address how the environmental liability is independent from cash flows of Otay Land Company, LLC. Additionally, please advise us of the assumptions used in determining the recoverability of book value of the affected parcel if the entire environmental liability is limited to cash flows of this parcel. If the liability is not isolated to the cash flows of this parcel, advise us of your impairment evaluation with respect to the total carrying value of Otay Land. The Company's Otay Ranch land is comprised of four relatively large parcels that are not contiguous. Each of these parcels has been subdivided into several sub-parcels, one of which includes the affected land. The Company believes it has the ability to sell land from the unaffected areas even if the affected parcel has not been remediated. The Company does not believe that the remediation status of the affected land will in any way impact the cash flows it can receive from the sale of the unaffected land. In addition, the Company can sell the affected parcel separately from all other Otay land. Since the future cash flows from the affected parcel are identifiable and largely independent from the future cash flows that can be generated from other Otay land, the Company concluded that this parcel represented the lowest level for the impairment evaluation. The Company expects it will provide the funds for the environmental remediation from the available cash resources at the parent company. The impairment evaluation of the affected parcel did not assume that the funds to complete the environmental remediation would be less than the cash flow to be received from the eventual sale of the affected parcel. However, the Company's projection of future net cash flows from the sale of all of its Otay land (estimated to be over $150 million) is well in excess of the sum of the carrying value of all of the Otay land and the environmental liability. Therefore the Company has concluded that there is no impairment with respect to the total carrying value of Otay land. 2. Please provide the acknowledgments regarding the Company's responsibilities requested in our comment letter dated April 8, 2005. The statement from the Company requested in the April 8, 2005 comment letter is attached hereto as Exhibit A. If the Staff has any additional questions or comments, kindly contact the undersigned at (212) 310-8528. Very truly yours, /s/ Andrea A. Bernstein cc: Erin N. Ruhe HomeFed Corporation 1903 Wright Place Suite 220 Carlsbad, California 92008 Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Corporation Finance Office of Mergers and Acquisitions 450 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20549-0305 Please be advised that HomeFed Corporation (the "Company") hereby acknowledges that (i) the Company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in its filings with the Commission; (ii) the staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to the staff comments do not foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the filings with the Commission; and (iii) the Company may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States. Dated: April 28, 2005 HOMEFED CORPORATION By: /s/ Erin N. Ruhe --------------------------------------- Name: Erin N. Ruhe Title: Vice President, Treasurer and Controller -----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----