Learn about climate change and caring for this area's common home

FALLBROOK – "Caring for our common home entails keeping track of any changes to it, for better or worse." Proposed housing developments will be analyzed Oct. 7 beginning at 6 p.m. at Fallbrook Library in a continuing series of presentations relating to global climate change. Speaker panel will include Mark Jackson, Save Our San Diego Countryside, reporting on "leapfrog developments" and Dr. Tom English, world-renowned expert on global climate change.

The Lilac Hills and Warner Ranch developments, with projected totals of 1,700 and 700 housing units respectively, will be under consideration by the county supervisors.

Lilac Hills is planned for over 600 aggregated acres to be developed over 10 years; it gained approval from the County Planning Commission in the last 30 days. Both the Valley Center and Bonsall Planning Groups earlier voted against it.

These developments are but two planned or proposed for North County. Both would require amending the recently approved county general plan, 13 years in the making.

Both developments lie in a fire-prone area markedly affected by drought and water supply. The area is not near any employment centers and thus would introduce higher traffic on Interstate 15 and State Route 76. There will be added impacts regarding shopping and schools. Emergency evacuation will be a key issue.

The developments add to an already approved total of over 72,000 new units on unincorporated land, 110 of which were previously approved for Lilac Hills.

This monthly presentation by the Avocado Cities Chapter of the North County Climate Change Alliance will bring expert speakers Oct. 7 to dig deeper into the information concerning these two developments.