SANDAG to reissue RFP for Rancho Lilac management

The California Department of Transportation acquired the 902-acre Rancho Lilac property as mitigation for the widening of state Route 76, and the San Diego Association of Governments will issue a new request for proposals for the management of the Rancho Lilac land in Valley Center.

Although SANDAG staff recommended approval of the proposal from the San Diego Habitat Conservancy, the SANDAG board voted 14-5 to seek a new request for proposals. The representatives from Carlsbad, Escondido, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego voted against the motion.

“We can have a fair and open competition,” Poway mayor Steve Vaus, who chairs the SANDAG board, said.

The widening of state Route 76 from two lanes to four was completed in 2017. Caltrans acquired mitigation land to offset the impacts of the highway widening.

In addition to the Rancho Lilac property, Caltrans acquired land by Highway 76 near North River Road, near Olive Hill Road, between Camino Del Rey and South Mission and near Gird Road. The TransNet half-cent sales tax includes an Environmental Mitigation Program to acquire, restore, and manage property acquired for the mitigation of transportation impacts.

The acquisition of the Rancho Lilac property had several environmental benefits: a buffer to maintain water quality in Keys Creek, habitat for the Multiple Species Conservation Program in North County, providing wildlife linkage, facilitating wildlife movement and permanently preserving 46 cultural resources.

Caltrans acquired the Rancho Lilac property in 2011 using Environmental Mitigation Program funding. Caltrans intended to transfer the property to a qualified land manager for perpetual management after the highway work was completed.

“Any transfer of property would require approval from the California Transportation Commission,” Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of SANDAG, said.

The transfer would be conditioned on an endowment for perpetual management.

In 2016, SANDAG solicited proposals for the management of Rancho Lilac. Three proposals were received, and the proposal from the San Diego Habitat Conservancy had the highest ranking during the evaluations.

SANDAG and SDHC negotiated an endowment amount of $6,994,129. The state required property improvements such as lead abatement, hazardous materials cleanup, basic repair of some historic buildings and weed abatement before the transfer.

SANDAG initially brought the proposed transfer to the board for consideration May 22, and public comments were received that day.

“Some of the comments were supportive of the present contractor,” Ikhrata said. “Some individuals had concerns.”

The concerns focused on the lack of guaranteed trail access. The county’s general plan has a trails element which includes future north-south and east-west trails within the property. Community meetings were held Oct. 15 and Oct. 20, and the two meetings combined had more than 100 participants.

The staff proposal for the Nov. 20 meeting was to transfer the Rancho Lilac land to SDHC and seek a trail easement from Caltrans. The staff report also included two alternatives.

The first alternative, which was adopted, was to cancel the request for proposals for the Rancho Lilac property and issue a new RFP. The second option was to cancel the RFP and recommend that Caltrans include the Rancho Lilac property in its ongoing negotiations with the county for the other property near the San Luis Rey River.

“SDHC is the most qualified manager for Rancho Lilac,” Don Scoles, executive director of SDHC executive director, said.

Greg Cox is a county board of supervisors alternate on the SANDAG board and spoke during the Nov. 20 public comment.

“We are confident that our parks department in the county of San Diego can manage this property as well,” he said. “The county is willing and able to manage the Rancho Lilac property.”

An actual transfer agreement would require a majority vote of the board of supervisors.

“Option 2 is the best option in my opinion,” Cox said. “The county would be the sole manager for all lands.”

Cox is wary about the SDHC proposal.

“There is no guarantee of trails,” he said.

Approximately 53,000 acres of county-owned land in more than 100 locations are maintained by the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation. That land includes approximately 350 miles of trails.

“This property is more amenable to being managed by San Diego Parks and Rec,” Joaquin Aganza, who represented Friends of Hellhole Canyon, said. “The county has a good track record for handling the multiple use properties, and I think would be the more appropriate.”

Mark Kukuchek represented the Bonita Vista Horsemen at the Nov. 20 hearing and noted the county’s ability to manage other preserves.

“They are eminently qualified to do the same for the Rancho Lilac property,” he said.

“I think they’ll do a great job, and I think to not have access to the property would be a lost opportunity,” Robson Splane, who was an early member of the Valley Center Trails Association, said.

“Rancho Lilac was purchased with public funds and it should remain owned by the public,” Pam Wiedenkeller, membership chair of the Valley Center Trails Association, said.

“Once it’s awarded to the county, I think you’ll really enjoy it,” Valley Center resident Mark Larson said.

“The question is who’s better to manage 902 acres,” Fred Wollman, president of the Valley Center Trails Association, said. “This property should be owned and managed by a public entity that’s accountable to the public.”

Deborah Mosley is the chief of resource management for the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

“The HMP (habitat management plan) would also include the development of a public access plan,” she said.

Frank Landis, who represented the California Native Plant Society, expected the park not to be maintained if given to the county.

“San Diego County does not have the personnel to maintain the trails,” he said.

In the new RFP, the county may provide a funding source to maintain the trials, including the endowment, and may also indicate assistance from volunteers in maintaining the trails. The new RFP will include a trails component, which was lacking in both the initial RFP and the SDHC response.

“The original RFP was flawed because it did not provide any access, any consideration of public access,” Janis Shackelford, who helped plan Lakeside’s trail system when she was the chair of the Lakeside Community Planning Group’s Trails Subcommittee.

“SDHC’s preserves are closed to the public,” Laury Flora, board member of Valley Center Trails Association, said. “It is unlikely that trails will ever be built.”

“It’s a mistake to give this to the conservancy. No access would be allowed,” Walter Kirkwood said. “People need to enjoy it.”

If SDHC submits a new RFP, trails access information would be included.

“The conservancy does not oppose the inclusion of trails,” Eric Mondero, board president of SDHC, said.

The county board of supervisors has two representatives on the SANDAG board, and Jim Desmond is one of them.

“We will maintain the parks and trails,” he said.

Desmond’s district includes Rancho Lilac.

“I think this really comes down to this is a public property,” he said.

Desmond said that a simple easement conveyance would not guarantee public use.

“It’s no good without trails or a staging area,” he said.

“I really don’t believe in my heart that we will end up with access if we do go with the San Diego Habitat Conservancy,” Catherine Blakespearm Encinitas mayor and SANDAG vice-chair, said. “They really are not committed to providing access on this property. That is a tremendous loss to the community.”

Blakespear said that the National Park Service provides access so that the public will perceive the natural environment as worthy of preserving.

“There are a lot of quality of life issues,” she said.

Issuing a new RFP will cost SANDAG more than accepting the SDHC proposal.

“It’s worth it,” Blakespear said.

“That piece of property should be enjoyed by the people,” Chula Vista mayor Mary Salas said.

“I think there needs to be that commitment of access to public trails,” National City mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis said.

“We’ve got to allow them access,” Vaus said. “I think the RFP was flawed from the beginning.”

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