Planning group recommends approval of Sandia Creek Drive gate

The Fallbrook Community Planning Group voted 12-2 Jan. 18 to recommend approval of an Administrative Permit for a gate on Sandia Creek Drive.

Planning group members Steve Brown and Ross Pike cast the votes against the recommendation for the gate. Roy Moosa manages property in the Sandia Creek area and recused himself from the discussion and the vote due to a potential conflict of interest.

"This is an emotional issue, and there are two sides to the story," said planning group chair Jack Wood.

The planning group originally heard public comment about the proposed gate Dec. 21. A 10-4 vote that night, with one vacant seat, continued the item until the January meeting due to a desire for additional information. "A lot of questions were asked," Wood said.

Some of those questions focused on access for service delivery and for residents south of the gate for whom Sandia Creek Drive is the legitimate route to Temecula rather than a shortcut, gate operation in the case of a power failure, sharing of the gate code with non-residents, cost assessment for property owners, and use of private property for the gate and for turnarounds. "Those are all civil issues that will be addressed," Wood said. "That is not for us to determine."

Members of the Sandia Creek Road Committee and other proponents of the gate have indicated that access codes would be provided to the United States Postal Service, Fallbrook Propane Gas Company, and others who deliver to the homes on the private portion of the road. Neighbors elsewhere in DeLuz may request an access code; such access would likely be granted to actual neighbors.

If the primary source of power is lost, the gate is supposed to open automatically and remain open until full power is restored. The North County Fire Protection District would have a key to unlock the gate manually, and the gate would also respond to emergency vehicle strobe signals.

The gate may also be opened by a remote radio signal; the nearest NCFPD fire station is 4.2 miles away by air and the radio signal has a range of five miles. Remote operation by the regional dispatch center in Rancho Santa Fe would also be an option. The radio control system would be tested before the gate becomes operational.

"It's going to be vetted," said planning group member Tom Harrington, who is, professionally, a firefighter.

The planning group's purview is to determine whether the proposed gate meets community standards. "We're not here to discuss all of the minor details," Wood said.

The gate would be installed just north of Rock Mountain Drive and is intended to deter through traffic. "We have become the most dangerous, fatalistic place you can imagine," said Megan Gamble who has, along with her husband, lived on Sandia Creek Terrace for 45 years. "If we don't do something and do it quickly we are lost."

Because the proposed gate does not have the unanimous consent of the property owners an Administrative Permit is required for its installation. The county's Department of Planning and Development Services (PDS) has extended the deadline for public comment until Jan. 31. The public input will be incorporated into PDS staff documents, and PDS director Mark Wardlaw will make a decision on an Administrative Permit for the gate. An individual or group who disagrees with Wardlaw's decision has the right to appeal that decision to the county's Planning Commission.

The private portion of Sandia Creek Drive is approximately 2.2 miles. It was originally a utility access road and was later paved. Residents of Sandia Creek Drive and Sandia Creek Terrace have requested the gate to limit access to the private road portion of Sandia Creek Drive to residents and invited guests. The road maintenance agreement for the private section of the road was approved in 1989, and 56 property owners pay for the maintenance of the road.

The private section of the street extends to the county line. The Riverside County portion of the road is administered by the DeLuz Community Services District and is a public road, so no gate would be allowed north of the county line.

The property owners voted on a two-gate project which received support from more than 80% of the landowners; one gate would have been at the southern end of the private road while the other gate would have been at the county line. The county's Department of Public Works deemed the two-gate proposal not feasible due to issues involving road width and California Environmental Quality Act compliance.

"There are topographic and biological constraints located on this road," said PDS project manager Nick Koutoufidis.

"The county has chosen the gate location based on safety," said Sandia Creek Road Committee member Alma Carpenter. "We are having to put gates up where the county tells us."

The current plan includes three turnarounds in addition to the gate. One would be just north of the gate, one would be just south of the gate, and one would be near the beginning of the private portion of Sandia Creek Drive. The gate and turnarounds would be complemented by signage notifying motorists that the private section is closed to through traffic.

The signage would meet federal standards for night visibility, which would reduce the risk of a motorist who is lost in DeLuz driving all the way to the gate before needing to turn around.

The signage would also inform southbound motorists. "There will be signage placed in Riverside County," Koutoufidis said. "They would be warned ahead of time."

The single-site gate system would have two swing gates. Solar panels would allow for battery backup in case electrical power is lost. The gate would be no more than 12 feet high.

Andrew Dale and his wife have lived in the 40200 block of Sandia Creek Drive since 1989. The gate and one of the turnarounds are by Dale's property. "The proposed gate location is very unsafe," Dale said. "Anyone concerned with safety would never put a gate where it is proposed."

The turnaround by Dale's property means that accidents might occur at that location. "That places legal liability on us despite our opposition," Dale said.

Rich Beck and his wife live across from the Dale family. Beck notes that the turnaround would be within 10 feet of his main water line and his mailbox, so even if he is not subject to legal liability for an accident he and his wife would still be financially responsible to replace damage to their property.

"Nothing is going to get done to help ensure our safety," Beck said. "The best solution that we feel is to revive the two-gate option."

An Administrative Permit is a discretionary permit and requires CEQA findings. The proposed CEQA finding is a Negative Declaration. PDS and DPW analyzed both the state-mandated vehicle miles traveled impact and level of service impacts. A traffic study was conducted in 2020 which indicated an average daily traffic volume of approximately 2,200 vehicles including 1,700 through traffic motorists.

PDS and DPW estimate that the gate would divert approximately 1,600 average daily trips to East Mission Road and another 300 trips to State Route 76. The vehicle miles traveled study indicated that the gate would reduce the distance by approximately 11% per motorist.

Although vehicle miles would be reduced, John Tomik notes that idling and reversing emissions by the gate would increase. "The environmental impacts were not taken fully into consideration," he said.

Permanent Road Division Zone No. 20 in DeLuz Heights provides landowner-funded maintenance for Daily Road and side streets. "Your gate will divert traffic to other communities in DeLuz," said PRD Zone No. 20 resident Dave Jengo.

Rhonda Schlumpberger lives in DeLuz Heights. "I fully support the Sandia Creek residents," she said.

"It is not a safe piece of highway. I've personally driven that road and most people go very fast," Schlumpberger said. "I think that we need to do something about this."

Schlumpberger added that the public portion of Sandia Creek Drive also merits action. "That stretch of road is also very dangerous," she said.

Rock Mountain Preserve is managed by the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, whose board voted to support the gate. FLC executive director Karla Standridge noted that traffic accidents cause environmental damage as well as injuries and deaths. "We've had asphalt, hazardous material, go into riparian areas," she said.

Larry Cahoon lives on Sandia Creek Terrace. He works in Orange County and has flexible hours, so he leaves at 3:30 a.m. to avoid the hazardous traffic on Sandia Creek Drive. "We're taking our lives in our hands," he said. "The road was never intended for this amount of traffic. It just makes it incredibly dangerous."

"The biggest concern that this community has is the safety of its residents and the safety of the people who are using this road," Carpenter said.

"There's an urgent need for safety," Carpenter said. "The only way to stop what's happening is to put up a gate."

"We have an extreme safety hazard issue," said Juan Mendez. "We're asking permission to help save lives."

"We have an urgent and demonstrable need today," said Kelley Gerwig.

"We need to cut down the commuter traffic so we can keep the road in decent condition," said Kurt Bantle.

Harrington voted for the gate reluctantly. "I just think we're moving the problem potentially further west," he said.

DeLuz Road is a public road, so if through traffic takes that street instead of Interstate 15 it will not impact the maintenance resources of property owners.

"We're not going to do anything about safety as long as there is commuter traffic on this road," said planning group member Mark Mervich.

Wood is also part of the Sheriff's Department volunteer program and has patrolled the area. "This is not going to go away," he said. "If you don't stop the traffic on Sandia Creek it's only going to increase."