Revised Fanita Ranch plan goes before council

EAST COUNTY

SANTEE

The Santee City Council will hold a public hearing today to discuss the latest version of Fanita Ranch, a proposed development that would put 3,000 homes on nearly 2,400 acres near Santee Lakes.

In the city’s plans since the 1980s, Fanita Ranch would potentially add more than 8,500 people to the current population of about 58,000, and bring significant impacts to traffic, noise and greenhouse gases.

An updated environmental study required by Santee, plus consideration of maps, permits and proposed general and specific plan amendments, will be parts of the presentation by city staff.

The City Council was scheduled to hear about the plan in late August, but developer Homefed Fanita Rancho LLC asked to delay the public hearing. Homefed said at the time that it needed to rework part of the environmental impact study to satisfy concerns about traffic and to free up City Councilman Rob Mcnelis to vote.

Mcnelis could have been barred from voting on the original submission because his home is near one of the streets — Magnolia Avenue — that was going to be part of the earlier plan submitted by Homefed. Magnolia is one of three roads that were to lead into the development. Fanita Parkway and Cuyamaca Street remain part of the plan.

Homefed vice president of community development Jeff O’connor said that Homefed wanted to ensure that the entire City Council will be able to weigh in on the development, which has been part of Santee’s general plan for 40 years. The council’s approval of the project must include a General Plan amendment because of its density.

O’connor said his group would be redirecting the $5 million it planned to use to extend Magnolia into improving state Route 52 instead. It will be added to the $10 million already earmarked by the developer for SR-52.

The hearing will be part of the Santee City Council meeting, which because of COVID-19 concerns, will be held virtually. To register for the meeting, visit: https:// register.gotowebinar.com/register/3532581736135325200.