Santee pulls approval of Fanita Ranch project

The Santee City Council has formally thrown out approval of the long-planned Fanita Ranch housing project, after a judge ruled that the proposal didn’t adequately consider how new homes could affect wildfire evacuations.

The five-member group voted unanimously last week to overturn six resolutions and two ordinances that had given the green light to around 3,000 homes in the hills beyond Santee Lakes.

Council members didn’t comment on their votes during the meeting, but two members of the public did speak, one in favor of the proposed development and one opposed.

The project had been approved in late 2020 on a 4-1 vote. Several environmental groups sued, and San Diego Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal wrote earlier this year that it was “not clear based on the information presented whether residents and those in the surrounding community would be able to timely evacuate” during a fire.

City Attorney Shawn Hagerty said Wednesday that staffers were working with the developer, HomeFed Fanita Rancho LLC, to rewrite the project’s environmental review to address the concerns, but he did not offer a timeline.

It was not immediately clear how the vote might affect a ballot initiative scheduled for November to allow residents to weigh in on the project.

Van Collinsworth, who opposed the development in court with his group Preserve Wild Santee, has said he hoped the referendum would continue so voters could “reinforce the court’s decision.”

Santee Clerk Annette Fagan Ortiz previously said the council “will need to consider taking action with regard to the referendum” after Wednesday’s vote, but she did not provide more details.