Planning Commission approves language to modify FCI land use designations

A proposed general plan amendment for lands whose density had been regulated under the Forest Conservation Initiative (FCI) is scheduled to be heard by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 14.

Several votes were taken at the Oct. 14 meeting of the county's Planning Commission. Four votes in favor are needed for any Planning Commission recommendation and the absence that day of Doug Barnhart, David Pallinger, and Bryan Woods left no margin for dissent or abstention. Votes on four Alpine land use adjustments were separated from the remainder of the actions, but the reclassification of two De Luz parcels and an amendment to the North Mountain Subregional Plan to allow for zoning and building type changes for five Palomar Mountain parcels had no opposition.

"I think it's a very well thought out and defensible plan," said Planning Commissioner Michael Beck.

In November 1993, the county's voters approved the Forest Conservation Initiative (FCI) which stipulated a density of one dwelling unit per 40 acres for lands within the Cleveland National Forest boundary but outside of existing community town areas. The FCI covered approximately 286,000 acres and prevented general plan land use designations from being changed until the FCI's expiration date of December 31, 2010.

The hearings on the update on the county's general plan began prior to the expiration date, so the FCI lands were not included in that update which was approved in August 2011, although during the update process county Department of Planning and Land Use staff began a separate effort on new maps for FCI land based on the principles of the general plan update. (The Department of Planning and Land Use became the Department of Planning and Development Services in 2012.)

Department of Planning and Land Use staff did not pursue significant changes when the new maps were developed, and most of the planned additional development is near the Viejas Indian Reservation in Alpine. (Viejas had a casino on the north side of Willows Road, which is parallel to Interstate 8, in 1993, but the Viejas Outlet Center mall on the south side of Willows Road did not open until 1998 and the hotel annex to the casino opened in 2013.)

In addition to developing the maps, Department of Planning and Development Services (PDS) staff identified alternatives and the Planning Commission held hearings in October 2013 and November 2013. In November 2013, the Planning Commission recommended the rezones on a 5-1 vote with Beck opposed due to concerns regarding Alpine and Lake Morena and John Riess absent.

Three De Luz parcels are included in the update. Two have been recommended for densities of one dwelling unit per 10 acres and the third parcel is expected to remain at one dwelling unit per 40 acres.

The maps went before the Board of Supervisors in June 2014, although the action was to choose a preferred map for the Environmental Impact Report rather than to adopt the general plan amendment for the densities. Ron Roberts was absent that day and the other four supervisors voted on the staff and Planning Commission recommendations for each community involved before casting the vote for the overall motion.

The supervisors' ratification of the recommendations for the De Luz parcels was a 3-1 vote with Bill Horn opposed due to the recommendation that the third De Luz parcel remain at one dwelling unit per 40 acres. The overall motion passed on a 3-1 vote with Dave Roberts voting against the motion due to his preference for FCI densities to be used as the baseline to evaluate the draft EIR. The supervisors' vote returned the update to PDS for environmental analysis and also directed staff to prepare a scope of work for a special study in eastern Alpine.

"It's really Alpine that has the additional density," said PDS program manager Joe Farace.

The development of the environmental documentation was complemented by a proposed modification to the North Mountain Subregional Plan's community policy which would be amended to limit new commercial areas to sites within the Rural Village boundaries except for highway-related uses. The change makes the subregional plan policy consistent with the Rural Commercial land use designation of the updated general plan.

The building type designators for two Palomar Mountain properties will likely be changed from C to L – a C designator allows non-residential use on the ground level and basement only, and the L designator allows for non-residential use on any level of the building. Both properties have A70 Limited Agriculture zoning which is proposed to be changed to C40 Rural Commercial zoning. C40 zoning is intended for commercial centers which serve predominantly rural or semi-rural areas with a broad range of goods and services.

Two other Palomar Mountain parcels will likely be changed from Residential Commercial (RC zoning is intended for mixed residential-commercial areas where residential use predominates and limited commercial, office, and sales activity are allowed by a use permit) to C40, and the other Palomar Mountain parcel will be changed from Rural Residential (family residential uses permitted with group residential, limited packing and processing, and other uses allowed with a use permit) to C40.

"There is no perfect plan," said PDS director Mark Wardlaw. "What essentially will be presented back to the board is a summary of all the alternatives."