Posted By: Judy Smith

Tue Nov 14, 9:00 PM ET

Pala Ranch, a maximum 817-unit development on 419 acres in the Pala area of North San Diego County is scheduled for the San Diego County Planning Commission Friday, and the fate of other big projects in the area with thousands of homes could hinge on the outcome.

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Building would occur on 210 acres already used for agriculture, with approximately 545 single-family homes and 219 townhomes ranging from 2,625 to 9,900 square feet clustered on 151 acres of a flat valley floor in the center of the development area.

The land is east of Fallbrook and Interstate 15 on the north of the Rice Canyon Road and Pala Road (State Route 76) intersection. The property is owned by Brian and Helga Fritz and the applicants are Leonard Glickman and Zygi Wilf as Pala Ranch LLC of Beverly Hills. Glickman declined comment pending the outcome of the hearing. The other parties couldn't be reached at press time.

The Pala project faces an uphill battle. Gary Pryor, the county planning director, decided Sept. 13 not to approve the plan because of its density, among other considerations. The project would require a rezone since only 22 units would be permitted to be constructed on the entire 419 acres under the existing agricultural zoning.

"We do not see this as an appropriate use of this property," said Dennis Turner, county land-use chief.

The planning commissioners will have two choices Friday, and approval is not one of them. One option is to accept the planning director's recommendation to deny the project based on concerns over density. In that case, the project would be allowed to die unless and until the matter was brought to the board of supervisors by the developers.

Under the second option, the planning commissioners would withhold judgment pending a study to determine the impacts of a project at that location. This study would be conducted before the initiation of a required environmental impact report for the project.

The County Department of Planning and Land Use warns the plan would place a relatively dense development to the east of the north-south San Diego County Water Authority (CWA) boundary delineating the farthest east water services are currently available.

The county's planning document notes that the Pala project would not be the only large development in this region that is east of the CWA boundary. At least five other developments have been proposed that surround Pala Ranch.

Pardee Homes, in conjunction with the Pankey family, is planning 1,244 units on 390 acres in a project called Meadowood.

Warner Ranch, a horse ranch abutting the Cleveland National Forest proposes 1,000 units on its 423 acres.

The proposed 1,366-unit Passarelle development by Environmental Development of San Diego is on 502 acres to the northwest of Pala Ranch.

John Pappas, a Sacramento-based developer, wants to build as many as 500 homes on a 110-acres of the former Hewlett-Packard land at the junction of Interstate 15 and Highway 76. That property is west of the CWA line, but density is an issue.

Passarelle, Meadowood and the Pappas projects are each being processed by the county planning department and when these might come up for a vote is not immediately clear.

Also in the same area are the proposed quarry at Rosemary's Mountain jus 1,000 yards from Pala Ranch and the proposed Gregory Canyon landfill to the southeast.

The county planning document also raised concerns that Pala Ranch could tax sewer service, fire protection service and the local school district, would cause leapfrog residential development in the area and cause the loss of agricultural lands.

The Fallbrook Community Planning Group also concluded at its Sept. 18 meeting the project was too big and in the wrong place.

"The proposal is a perfect worst-case example of how bad urban sprawl can be because it would create a residential community by leaping over and beyond nonresidential areas to a remote canyon area which has no present, or easily attainable infrastructure facilities," Fallbrook Community Planning Group member Harry Christiansen stated.

County staff doesn't hate everything about the Pala project. The department likes the fact that half the land (209 acres) would be kept in permanently open space that will be incorporated into the North County Multiple Species Conservation Program. The habitat consists of coastal sage scrub, which is home to the endangered California gnatcatcher, as well as riparian/wetland areas. Here again, however, there could be problems. "Although the conceptual development plan would place development in the flatter portions of the site off of the steep slopes, this could result in compliance issues related to wetlands and floodplains," the planning report said.

In addition, the report said the Pala project would generate 7,202 average daily trips at build-out, making it necessary to widen SR 76 to four lanes. However, given all the traffic currently on that road from the Pala Casino, that could be necessary anyway.

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