New post: DEADLINE extended: Comments on Safari Highlands Ranch due JANUARY 2. Please comment

[esconeigh...@gmail.com]

Please Comment on the proposed Safari Highlands Ranch development  DEIR

Comments due January 2, 2018

The proposed Safari Highlands Ranch development, a sprawling 550 home development being planned for pristine biological habitat to the north of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and east of existing homes in the San Pasqual Valley. The land is presently undeveloped with steep slopes and rugged terrain and widespread riparian and coastal sage habitats.

A Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) has been released and needs your comments.

The quality of the habitat is so high that all of the property has a special designation from the County indicating it should largely be preserved due to its high wildlife habitat values. 

The habitat has been described as one that supports high concentration of sensitive biological resources “which, if lost, could not be replaced or mitigated elsewhere.”

It is also the location of significant cultural resources.  Surrounded by steep canyons, future residents would be living in a dangerous and inaccessible fire zone.

Because the County General Plan only allows 27 homes on this site, the Escondido city council is proposing to annex the land into the city.  As a sprawl development, it will worsen the city’s finances while devastating local natural resources.

Last, this project does not, in any way, meet the standards or requirements of the multiple species conservation plans.  Certification of this DEIR and adoption of this project would undermine regional habitat planning throughout the region.

Please add your voice to the concerns about this project by writing a letter/email by January 2, 2018 to: 

John Helmer Contract Planner, City of Escondido

201 North Broadway, Escondido, CA 92025

jhe...@escondido.org

Letter or email must be received by 5PM January 2, 2018.

Put Safari Highlands Ranch DEIR # ENV 15-0009; SUB 15-0019 in your title.

Among many problems with the DEIR are the following:

• ·         Does not include conservation measures to the maximum extent practicable per agreements with agencies and, in fact, recommends a project that will devastate hundreds of acres of biologically pristine habitat.
• ·         Fails to avoid established oak trees resulting in loss of over 300 Englemann oak trees.
• ·         Fails to preserve functioning wildlife corridors.
• ·         Fails to implement many of the requests from wildlife agencies to protect sensitive wildlife.
• ·         Fails to mitigate habitat impacts of 128-acres of ‘fire management zones’ areas.
• ·         Fails to reduce or mitigate over 19 miles of urban interface that will have significant negative edge-effect impacts on habitat and species.
• ·         Biodiversity of the region is under-assessed in the biological report and mitigations will not protect impacted species.
• ·         Inadequate actions are required to offset and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• ·         Fails to meet requirements in Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP) and other regional plans.
• ·         Fails to evaluate reasonable alternatives to this project.
• ·         Locates 100s of residents in high-fire risk zones with minimal protection or evacuation options.  A fire station will not even be constructed until half of the 550 homes are constructed.

Request that the city:

·         Withdraw the DEIR and require any future project to comply with the guidance from the natural resource agencies and MSCP criteria.

·        Reduce project size and redesign the project footprint to minimize impacts to on-site habitat especially oak woodland, chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and wildlife corridors.

·         Redesign the footprint to significantly reduce the almost 20 miles of edge effects on habitat in the current plan.

·         Avoid impacts to sensitive resources and require mitigation of unavoidable habitat losses.

·         Remove roads and from areas that impact wildlife and realign roads and trails that bisect and split habitat and corridors.

·         Require full funding and operation of fire station at the onset of the project.

Read the full DEIR here: https://www.escondido.org/environmental-impact-report.aspx

For more info visit https://spvpa.org/safari-highlands-ranch/

Read more: http://escondidoneighborsunited.blogspot.com/2017/12/deadline-extended-comments-on-safari.html