Plan update approval by December targeted

When the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved an update to the county’s general plan in August 2011 the county supervisors directed county staff to develop a “clean-up” in the form of a general plan amendment every two years. The county’s Planning Commission heard the proposed 2019 clean-up amend­ments Oct. 11 and proposed zoning, land use designation, and other changes including the redesignation of nine parcels in Jamul, seven in Alpine, and one in Pine Valley.

The Board of Supervisors must approve any general plan amendment or rezone. The county’s Department of Planning and Development Services (PDS) has targeted a Dec. 11 Board of Supervisors hearing date.

The initial general plan update was a multi-year process with much of the analysis occurring on a macro sale, so it was ex­pected that oversights requiring correction would be found and the county supervisors directed county staff to develop proposed “clean-up” amendments every two years. The update direction also anticipated the need to clarify or revise policies or defini­tions in the general plan or community plans and to provide a process to handle changes in circumstances including changes in state law or ownership changes from private to public. The updates also accommodate minor community planning group or community sponsor group requests. PDS periodically reviews the county’s general plan to correct errors or facilitate updates which reflect new circumstances.

The 2019 clean-up round includes 38 items for consideration. The Planning Commission considered recommendations on 28 land use map and zoning chang­es consisting of 17 ownership changes, 10 mapping errors, and one inconsistency. Five pro­posed revisions address text and tables in the general plan, four potential changes are to the mo­bility element, and one change would correct an incorrect refer­ence in the Ramona Community Plan.

The Planning Commission voted 5-0, with David Pallinger and Bryan Woods absent, to rec­ommend approval of 34 of the items. Michael Beck is the exec­utive officer of the Endangered Habitats Conservancy and re­cused himself on the three zon­ing and land use designation changes reflecting the transfer of Alpine, Crest, and Jamul own­ership to EHC; when Michael Edwards abstained the recom­mendations did not receive the necessary four votes for a posi­tive recommendation although the explanation of the 3-0 vote will be included in the infor­mation for the county supervi­sors. The other item involves a property in unincorporated Es­condido near Interstate 15; the Planning Commission voted 5-0 to send the item back to staff for additional analysis after neighbors objected to changing the Rural Residential zoning to match the land use designation given in 2011.

A mapping error correction will change the zoning and land use designation for five Jamul parcels south of State Route 94 between Steele Canyon Road and Via Las Faldas. The parcels total 33.02 acres, and currently four of those have a Public Agency Lands land use designa­tion and A72 General Agricul­ture zoning while one has Rural Commercial zoning and a land use designation of Semi-Rural — one unit per 1, 2, or 4 gross acres. The four PAL parcels would be changed to the SR-1 designa­tion and would have RR (Rural Residential) zoning while the parcel with the RC and SR-1 designation would be given the PAL designation.

The Endangered Habitats Conservancy acquired four con­tiguous Jamul parcels totaling 241.97 acres. The zoning would be changed from A70 (Lim­ited Agriculture) to S80 (Open Space) and the land use designa­tion would be amended from RL- 40 (Rural Lands – one dwelling unit per 40 acres) to OS-C (Open Space Conservation). The par­cels are between Skyline Truck Trail and Lyons Valley Road ap­proximately 3 1/2 miles north of State Route 94.

S80 zoning is intended for rec­reation areas or areas with se­vere environmental constraints. Structures such as restrooms, storage buildings, and pavilions are allowed on land with S80 zoning if a site plan addresses the impacts of the structures. County-owned parks are exempt from the Zoning Ordinance, so the Department of Parks and Recreation will not need Plan­ning Commission or Board of Supervisors approval for a site plan.

Four Alpine parcels totaling 254.63 acres would be rezoned from A70 to S80 and their land use designation would be changed from SR-4 (Semi-Rural – one dwelling unit per 4, 8, or 16 gross acres) to OS-C. The land south of the El Capitan Reser­voir has been acquired by the County of San Diego and will be part of the Peutz Valley Pre­serve.

Three Alpine parcels totaling 11.97 acres were acquired by the Endangered Habitats Conser­vancy. The parcels southwest of Alpine Boulevard and northeast of Arnold Way currently have A70 zoning and a land use desig­nation of SR-1, and the property would be changed to S80 zoning and the OS-C land use designa­tion.

The text changes add a clari­fication that road and bicycle classifications depicted in the mobility element are the clas­sifications for full buildout and traffic studies for individual projects may identify project de­sign considerations which are less than the full buildout clas­sification and may not require a general plan amendment. A land use element amendment exempts emergency shelters from land use density regula­tions during recovery efforts related to a declaration of emer­gency by the State of California or the County of San Diego