Supervisors approve purchase of 118 former golf course acres for river park

The County of San Diego will be purchasing 118 acres of the former San Luis Rey Downs golf course and will incorporate that land into the future San Luis Rey River Park.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Dec. 14 to acquire the property from San Luis Rey Downs Enterprises, LLC, for the appraised value of $5,885,000.

"I am happy that we're another step closer to our goal of 1,000 acres and a continuous park along the San Luis Rey River," said Supervisor Bill Horn.

"It's a great acquisition for us," said Christine Tolchin, who is the chief of the resource management division of the county's Department of Parks and Recreation.

"It helps us connect our multi-use trails in the area and also preserves a large strand of important habitat," Tolchin said. "It's a really good linkage for the park."

The San Luis Rey River Park will encompass approximately 1,600 acres, and the linear park will stretch for approximately nine miles between the Bonsall Bridge and Interstate 15. Land will be acquired only from willing sellers, so the exact boundaries have not yet been determined.

The acquisition approved Dec. 14 will bring the number of acres purchased by the county from willing sellers from 554 to 672, and approximately 850 acres are expected to be acquired as part of the California Department of Transportation mitigation requirements for the widening of State Route 76. The county and Caltrans have worked together to coordinate the plans for the river park with the plans to widen Highway 76.

The river park will include open space areas such as walking, bicycling, and equestrian trails along with staging areas. The open space portion will also include habitat preservation and will protect the San Luis Rey River which is almost entirely riparian. The park will also provide active recreation facilities such as ball fields, play areas, and picnic facilities.

In September 2008, the Board of Supervisors approved the master plan for the river park including the certification of the Final Program Environmental Impact Report for the master plan. The supervisors' Dec. 14 action also found the acquisition to be categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review although vegetation management, stormwater control, and erosion control measures will be undertaken as part of the property maintenance.

The 118-acre area which will be acquired once the transaction documents are finalized includes land within the pre-approved mitigation area for the draft North County Multiple Species Conservation Program.

The least Bell's vireo bird species has been observed on the property, and the land includes riparian habitat. The property also has mature trees which had been maintained when the golf course was in operation. Many portions of the 118 acres are relatively flat which could allow for active recreation and for the construction of a trail connection.

The entirety of the land approved for purchase is within the boundaries of the former golf course which opened in 1963 and closed in August 2014. The area to be acquired comprises six holes of the former golf course.

In November 2015, the county supervisors approved the purchase of 60 acres of the former golf course which accounted for five holes and also included two maintenance structures, one of which was deemed unsafe and destined for demolition and one of which is being evaluated as a potential office for Department of Parks and Recreation staff who will patrol and maintain the river park and other county park and recreation facilities in the area.

The total one-time costs for the current acquisition are $6,263,000. In addition to the $5,885,500 to purchase the land the county will pay $40,000 for staff, appraisal, and ancillary costs and $5,000 for closing and title costs.

An additional $333,000 will cover one-time land protection costs. The update of the existing management plan for the river park to include the property and the preparation of a revegetation plan and the associated environmental documentation has an estimated cost of $200,000.

The other $133,000 will fund initial stewardship costs including fencing, gates, signage, vegetation management, and stormwater and erosion protection. The county's annual costs for land monitoring and management of the additional land are estimated at $64,000, and an additional $3,289 will cover annual fixed charge assessments on the land.