Neighbors for San Dieguito River Valley Preservation

Author: RSF Post

Date: May 07, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 7, 2015

Neighbors for San Dieguito River Valley Preservation

Stop Rancho Librado

Fact Sheet

The developers of Rancho Librado are proposing an amendment to the San Diego County 2011 General Plan that would permit high density housing at the intersection of Via de la Valle and Calzada Del Bosque and ruin the rural character of this gateway to Rancho Santa Fe.

More than 450 Covenant residents and members of surrounding neighborhoods have signed petitions to stop the proposed development. Their concerns are based on the following facts:

• The 28-acre property, across the street from Chino Farm, is zoned Semi Rural 2c(SR-2), which means one housing unit per 2, 4, or 8 gross acres.
• The applicant proposes an amendment to build 54 homes on the property. Fifty “casitas” are planned for 5.8 acres -- a proposed lot size of ~5,000 square feet.
• Nearby homes in this rural area are on lot sizes ranging from 2+ to more than 10 acres. Building 50 casitas and four mini-estates with a clubhouse on a site zoned for no more than 14 homes will forever change the character of this beautiful river valley.
• Approval sets a terrible precedent for further high-density development on other large parcels in the area.
• Traffic will get worse on already busy, clogged roads, including one intersection already rated “F”.
• In 2006, the RSFA/Covenant Planning Group recommended potential future step-down housing projects to be located in the village, or at most within a 15-20 minute walking distance to the Village.
• The planning group voted against step down housing at the Calzada site due to the location not meeting the above requirement.
• In 2006, the RSFA Board voted down a similar high density project on the Calzada site based on factors cited in the presentation – density, traffic, planning group recommendations for age restricted housing, and high density projects being out of character with the rural nature of this portion of the San Dieguito River Valley.