Supervisors grant Peppertree Park time extension

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to provide a time extension for the tentative map for Peppertree Park.

In addition to extending the expiration date of the map to August 14, 2009, the supervisors’ 5-0 vote November 2 also removes a previous condition requiring the widening of Peppertree Lane. The time extension reverses a denial issued by the county’s Planning Commission.

“I’m happy to get this stage behind us and looking forward to moving the next two stages hopefully as expeditiously as possible,” said Duane Urquhart, the general manager of Peppertree Park, LLC.

“This is just basically the first stage for a three-stage process,” Urquhart said. “From here we go to a revised map which sets up the basis for a general plan amendment.”

On September 21 the supervisors had continued the appeal of the Planning Commission’s denial to November 9, but at that time Supervisor Bill Horn expressed his desire to have the time extension hearing returned to the board earlier if the issues were resolved and the project was considered ready for the time extension. Since that continuance environmental processing has been completed and issues related to security for road improvements have been resolved.

“This is an example of us actually doing something and getting it done ahead of time,” Horn said.

“Every day counts in this process,” said project consultant Thure Stedt. “Staff was very cooperative, very helpful in this, and we appreciate everything staff did to assist us.”

The Peppertree Park Specific Plan application, which included Tentative Map 4713, was first submitted to the county’s Department of Planning and Land Use on October 12, 1987. A Supplemental Environmental Impact Report was initially filed in April 1990 and revised in January 1991. In April 1991 the Planning Commission recommended denial of the Peppertree Village tentative map and zone reclassification. The Board of Supervisors, however, adopted the specific plan, zone reclassification and tentative map in August 1991. The supervisors also granted a major use permit and certified the supplemental environmental documentation during that August 1991 hearing.

Units 1 and 2 of that tentative map, along with a portion of Unit 3, have already been recorded. The recorded portions consist of 100.61 acres and have created 219 residential lots, one park lot and two open space lots. Units 4 through 6 and the unrecorded portion of Unit 3 cover the subdivision of 60.7 acres into 48 residential lots, three open space lots and three commercial lots.

The original approval anticipated five development phases, but in 1998 a resolution amendment renumbered the phases. Units 1 and 2 became Subunits 1 through 5, Units 3 and 4 became Subunit 6, Unit 6 became Subunit 7 and Unit 5 became Subunit 8. The 2005 time extension provides further renumbering; the unrecorded portion of Subunit 6 is now divided into Subunits 7 and 8, the Subunit 8 which had been Unit 5 became Subunit 9 and the Subunit 7 which was formerly Unit 6 is now Subunit 10.

The unrecorded residential units equate to a density of 1.17 dwelling units per acre, which is within the 1.65 dwelling units per acre allowed by the specific plan. Letters of service availability have been provided by the Fallbrook Public Utility District, the North County Fire Protection District, the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District and the Fallbrook Union High School District.

Changes in environmental circumstances and county codes have hampered the completion of the project. Since 1997 the endangered Least Bell’s Vireo has been observed and assumed nesting on-site. Previous Army Corps of Engineers permits obtained for wetland restoration, revegetation and monitoring do not grant take authority over a listed species unless a Section 7 consultation has taken place. Other changes in circumstance which required environmental updates included the listing of the Arroyo Toad and the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and the adoption of county ordinances including urban/wildlife interface fire standards, watershed protection and stormwater management.

The tentative map expired on August 14, 2004, and due to the unresolved environmental issues the Department of Planning and Land Use could not make a timely determination on the time extension. On October 1, 2004, the Planning Commission adopted a resolution denying a time extension. That decision was appealed to the Board of Supervisors, and on December 15, 2004, the supervisors granted a continuance of the

hearing to June 15, 2005, to allow additional time to update environmental studies which address the changes in circumstances. Although additional information concerning impacts and mitigation was provided, in a May 25, 2005, letter county staff requested that habitat impact and mitigation figures be rectified, quantified and shown. On June 15 the supervisors granted a time extension to August 2.

A subsequent iteration of the biological assessment report was submitted on June 22, but review was not complete in time for a decision by August 2 or by September 21. In addition, county staff determined that the $430,000 security for future public road improvements required by the project was only about 20 percent of the approximate $2.5 million total which would be required if the county had to make those improvements to Peppertree Lane and to the intersection of Fallbrook Street and Stage Coach Lane, so the security for the project needed to be increased. Analysis was also needed to determine whether revised wetland and fire buffers were adequate and feasible.

The environmental constraints include a portion of Ostrich Farms Creek and associated wetland areas including an agricultural pond and dam. The changes to Peppertree Lane include a bridge over Ostrich Farms Creek rather than a culvert.

“It’s a sequential process that we’re in to realize what the community wants,” Stedt said.

The striking of the road widening condition, along with the bridge instead of a culvert, is part of that process. “The basic impetus behind all of this is moving the road away from Grand Tradition and putting a bridge across Ostrich Farms Creek,” Stedt said.

“We wanted to keep that road away from the Grand Tradition,” said Jim Russell, the chair of the Fallbrook Community Planning Group.

The original map had Peppertree Lane running against the Grand Tradition boundary line, so the change in the road will protect the creek. “It will have a whole lot less impact in that riparian area,” Russell said.

The deletion of the road widening condition was a response rather than an initiation of the project. “That’s basically catering to the Fallbrook Planning Group policy to keep roads in Fallbrook smaller and more rural in nature,” Urquhart said.

The Fallbrook Community Planning Group has provided comments on the project itself but did not take a position on the time extension.

Urquhart notes that Peppertree Park will be the first zero-energy home community in Southern California. “It’s a pretty advanced or progressive project that’s brought in some extremely valuable new technology, and one thing this approval allows us to do is continue those efforts,” Urquhart said. “I’m pleased to get this approval behind us.”