Supervisors set hearing for Wilderness Gardens acquisition

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors set a July 23 hearing date for the acquisition of a 19.24-acre parcel in Pala which would be added to the county’s Wilderness Gardens Preserve open space park.

In addition to scheduling the July 23 hearing, the supervisors’ June 18 actions also included finding that the purchase of the property was categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review as it involves the transfer of land to preserve open space and natural habitat. The July 23 hearing would authorize the County of San Diego to purchase the property for $106,000 from Environmental Trust, Inc.

Wilderness Gardens Preserve currently consists of 719 acres and includes hiking trails and a visitor center with displays on the preserve’s natural and cultural resources. Environmental Trust, Inc., has offered to sell an adjacent parcel to the county.

That land, east of Lilac Road and approximately 200 feet south of the San Luis Rey River, contains mixed chaparral and a stand of coast live oak woodland. The preserve allows a linkage for animals moving from mountains in San Diego County to the Santa Ana Mountains in Riverside County, and adding the land to the preserve would expand habitat in the San Luis Rey River Valley and help protect the health of the San Luis Rey River watershed.

An independent appraiser determined the $106,000 appraised value, and Environmental Trust, Inc., has agreed to sell the land for that price. The county’s Department of Environmental Health has completed its review and has recommended the removal and proper disposal of all foreign debris from that site, including a 55-gallon drum and the remnants of a wood and sheet metal structure. The conditions of the purchase agreement include Environmental Trust, Inc., removing the 55-gallon drum prior to the close of escrow, and the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation will remove the remaining debris.

The county’s Department of Planning and Land Use has also reviewed the proposed transaction and has determined that the proposed acquisition of the parcel for natural open space preservation is consistent with the Pala-Pauma Subregional Plan and the county’s General Plan.

The property is within the North County Multiple Species Conservation Program planning area, and existing budgeted funds for MSCP acquisitions will be used both for the purchase and for other one-time costs.

The one-time costs are estimated at $138,550. In addition to the purchase price, staff time and other administrative expenses to complete the transaction are expected to total $15,000, title and escrow fees will be a $1,050 expense, and $20,000 is anticipated for one-time stewardship activities such as installing fencing and signage and removing debris.

Ongoing MSCP stewardship and monitoring costs for the property are estimated at $3,000 per year, and while continued acquisition of property for the MSCP program could eventually create the need for additional oversight staff the 19.24-acre purchase would not require any additional staffing.

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