Pala Mesa Highlands boundary changes approved

The North County Fire Protection District board approved an agreement with the developers of Pala Mesa Highlands which will change the property boundaries of the fire district’s Pala Mesa station.

The August 28 vote approved the exchange in which the district will cede 0.0224 acres of the Station 4 property to the Pala Mesa Highlands project while receiving 0.013 acres of land which had been part of the development parcel. “We’re giving a little more property, but in exchange for that they’re doing that improvement,” said NCFPD deputy fire chief Charlie Glasgow.

The fire station is at the corner of Pala Mesa Drive and Old Highway 395. The Pala Mesa Highlands property surrounds Station 4 on two sides, and during public hearings on the project subdivision map concerns were raised about fire department access with the increased traffic. Part of the solution involves Pala Mesa Highlands constructing a new driveway for the fire station to and from Old Highway 395 which will be located at the extreme southern end of the development project. Pala Mesa Highlands will also improve the approach angle for the existing driveway off of Pala Mesa Road.

“They’re going to improve both driveways,” Glasgow said. “They’re also going to landscape the boundary in front of the fire station and keep that maintained for us.”

The landscaping will help maintain the appearance of the development, and although it will be on the fire station parcel Pala Mesa Highlands will be responsible for the maintenance rather than the fire department personnel. “To put that burden on the crew didn’t seem fair,” Glasgow said.

The fire district’s willingness to give up some of its parcel allows for the widening of Pala Mesa Road. “They needed a turn pocket to make access into their development,” Glasgow said. “We okayed that, and they put the driveway in for us.”