Sponsor group directs PLDO funding for Bonsall Community Park

The Bonsall Community Sponsor Group recommended that the entirety of available Park Land Dedication Ordinance funding be spent on Bonsall Community Park.

The sponsor group voted 7-0, Dec. 1, to recommend that 100% of the funding be spent on Bonsall Community Park. Should other funding sources allow for remaining funding, the sponsor group can make a new recommendation next year, and next year’s recommendation will also take into account new PLDO funding received.

“Every year we ask the sponsor group to come up with a priority list for the Park Land Dedication Ordinance funding,” Nina Pisano, senior park project manager of county Department of Parks and Recreation, said.

The Park Land Dedication Ordinance provides for collection of fees from developers to fund park improvements in the area of the development. In 1965, the state of California adopted the Quimby Act which authorizes local governments to assess impact fees on new residential development to provide funding for park and recreation facilities to serve the new development.

The Quimby Act allows fees sufficient to provide 3 acres of park land per 1,000 residents, although a local government may adopt a higher standard of 5 acres per 1,000 residents. The county has been collecting PLDO fees from developers since 1973. Developers have the option to dedicate parks instead of paying PLDO fees and a combination of park dedication and PLDO fees is also potentially acceptable.

PLDO funding must be spent in the area of the development for which the money is collected. Initially the fees could only be used for active recreation parks. In 2018, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved revisions to the Park Land Dedication Ordinance, and one of the revisions allows up to 25% of a fiscal year’s PLDO revenue to be used for the acquisition of land for trails or to develop new trails.

PLDO funding still cannot be used for open space. The fees can be used for acquisition of land but not for maintenance or operation, and they can be used for replacement of playground equipment but not for the restoration of historic structures.

The 2018 revisions took effect Jan. 1, 2019. One of the provisions separates park land acquisition fees, which can only be used for the acquisition of land, from park improvement impact fees which must be used to develop new park facilities or rehabilitate existing facilities.

If in lieu fees are paid that funding can be used either for land acquisition or for facility development or rehabilitation. The 2018 revisions also updated the PLDO fees; the fees for Bonsall are $6,573 for a single-family home, $5,924 for a multi-family dwelling unit and $4,058 for an accessory dwelling unit.

As of Oct. 31, 2020, Bonsall had $1,160,083.04 of unspent PLDO revenue provided before January 2019. The park improvement impact fee balance was $229,807.62. The land acquisition fee balance was $29,080.16. The in-lieu fee balance which can fund either land acquisition or improvements was $12,687.99.

“The Bonsall Community Sponsor Group has quite a bit of PLDO funding,” Pisano said.

“The data is very important,” Margarette Schoendienst, chair of Bonsall Sponsor Group, said. “This is very helpful.”

The San Luis Rey River Park boundaries are yet to be determined since land will be acquired only from willing sellers, but the river park will stretch for approximately 9 miles and encompass approximately 1,600 acres. The park will provide open space areas including trails, staging areas, and habitat preservation and will also include active recreation land such as ball fields, play areas and picnic facilities.

“Most of the river park is going to be open space with trails,” Pisano said.

The plans for the San Luis Rey River Park include two active parks. Bonsall Community Park will total 63 acres including 55 acres to be developed. Pisano made a presentation on Bonsall Community Park at the Nov. 10 Bonsall Sponsor Group meeting.

“It was beautiful,” Schoendienst said of the park as presented. “It looks great.”

Rio Prado Park, which is near Rancho Monserate, will be the other active park within the San Luis Rey River Park.

The use of the land at the western end of the park near the Bonsall Bridge has not been finalized. “The county has not indicated at this point, but I'm sure they will, what to do with it,” Schoendienst said.

Pathways are within the right of way of a road. Trails are outside of the right of way.

“PLDO funding cannot be used for pathways,” Pisano said.

Funding for trails is acceptable but subject to the 25% limit.

“We just cannot spend more than $350,000 of your accumulated funding on trails,” Pisano said.

The PLDO funding to develop new facilities does not necessarily need to be spent for the construction phase.

“We can use it for the design; we can use it for the construction,” Pisano said.

A use decision for the land near the Bonsall Bridge must be made before PLDO revenue could be spent on that area.

“The PLDO funding would not be able to fund the feasibility study,” Pisano said.

The sponsor group decision to earmark all of the PLDO funding for Bonsall Community Park increases the chance of that park being funded. If money from the capital general fund is available that allocation will be used.

“That’s the main funding source,” Pisano said.

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