Supervisors approve purchase of Barr Ranch land for new park

San Diego County will obtain 6.8 Fallbrook acres for a new park.

A 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote March 11 approved the purchase of the land from Barr Ranch LLC, for the appraised value of $1,100,000.

The county’s general plan has a standard of at least 10 acres of local park land per 1,000 residents. Fallbrook currently has approximately 1 acre of local park land per 1,000 residents. Community Park adjacent to the Fallbrook Community Center, Don Dussault Park off Alturas Road near the intersection of Aviation Road and Clemmens Lane Park are classified as local parks.

None of the local parks have ball fields. The Fallbrook Sports Park is on county-owned land but leased to the nonprofit Fallbrook Sports Association. The Barr Ranch site is flat and the size of the park area could allow for the development of ball fields, sports courts, trails and playgrounds.

Barr Ranch LLC owned approximately 7.8 acres at the site and will retain an approximate one-acre portion of land which includes an existing house in the southwest corner. Barr Ranch LLC agreed to sell the remaining 6.8 acres, which are on two separate legal parcels, for the appraised amount.

The county’s costs will also include $3,000 for closing and title expenses and $69,000 of staff time needed for the transaction. The supervisors’ 5-0 vote, Feb. 11, amended the 2019-2020 Community Development Block Grant plan to reallocate $1,900,000 of CDBG funding including up to $1,200,000 to purchase the Fallbrook land for a park site.

A 5-0 vote, Feb. 12, appropriated $1,172,000 of that money into the capital outlay fund for the Fallbrook park project and set the March 11 hearing date to approve the purchase. Community Development Block Grant projects are intended to revitalize lower-income communities. The Barr Ranch property on the south side of Fallbrook Street between Morro Road and Golden Road is within a Neighborhood Revitalization Area, so the project qualifies for CDBG funding.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides CDBG allocations to local jurisdictions, which must submit an annual plan for the expenditure of that money.

If the county does not believe that the money will be spent by the HUD deadline, the money may be reallocated, and the board of supervisors can also reallocate funds from a completed project with CDBG money remaining.

An amendment to the CDBG plan requires a public notice, a public hearing and a 30-day public comment period. The Feb. 11 board of supervisors hearing was also the conclusion of the public comment period which began Jan. 10.

The county’s Department of Environmental Health reviewed a Transaction Screen Questionnaire and conducted database searches on the property, Dec. 19, Department of Environmental Health determined that no further inquiry would be necessary but that the structures should be surveyed for lead and asbestos after the property is acquired.

The county anticipates $30,000 of initial stewardship and other one-time land protection costs, although that activity likely will not take place during fiscal year 2019-2020 and will be budgeted for a subsequent fiscal year.

The county estimates that annual operations and maintenance costs for a 6.8-acre park are between $90,000 and $125,000. The actual costs will be based on the type of improvements to be constructed, which will be determined after a design is selected.

“The next step in the process will be community meetings to gain input on the design and purpose of the park,” Supervisor Jim Desmond said. “We’ve heard everything from recreational fields to playgrounds to a skate park. I’m excited to see what the community suggests.”

The acquisition of the land itself is categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review although the actual development may need CEQA review, which could include a Negative Declaration.

If CDBG funding is used for the amenities the federal funding would also make the project subject to National Environmental Protection Act review which could include a finding of no significant impact.

Once the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation, in conjunction with community input, identifies specific improvements the county may seek CDBG funding for those improvements.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].