County applies for grant to acquire land for SLR - River Park

The County of San Diego’s Department of Parks and Recreation has applied for a $350,000 grant to acquire land for the future San Luis Rey River Park.

The Department of Parks and Recreation received the authorization from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to apply for the grant during the county supervisors’ Sept. 14 meeting. The supervisors’ 5-0 vote also approved acceptance of the grant should it be awarded by the California Natural Resources Agency, which administers the state’s Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program.“If we receive that grant that will be a great opportunity to add land to that park at the western end,” said Brian Albright, the director of the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program was established by state legislation in 1989 and provides up to $10 million in grants each year to local governments or non-profit organizations for projects which mitigate the environmental impacts of modified or new transportation facilities. The future river park’s proximity to the segment of State Route 76 which is in the process of being widened allows the river park to qualify for the program.

The boundaries of the future San Luis Rey River Park have never been determined in part because land will be purchased only from willing sellers and in part because the county did not wish to encumber land which might be utilized for the widening of Highway 76. The river park plans have included the possibility that Caltrans would purchase land for future river park use as mitigation for the environmental impacts of the Highway 76 widening.

The San Luis Rey River Park will cover approximately 1,600 acres and stretch for approximately nine miles. The river park will have active recreation such as ball fields, play areas, and picnic facilities, and it will also include open space areas including trails, staging areas, and habitat preservation corridors.

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