Harmony Grove Meadows Development
NOP Review Deadline: June 15, 2007:
Comments to the Harmony Grove Meadows project (216
homes clustered on 36 acres of an 111-acre site; current general plan allows about 14 large-lot homes) Notice of Preparation
(NOP) of the Environmental Impact Review have a deadline of June 15, 2007. The
NOP can be viewed at http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/ceqa_public_review.html . You can read the Elfin Forest Harmony
Grove Town Council NOP response letter and more information on this project and its location
on the EFHG Town Council web site (www.efhgtc.org).
Project Density: Proposed county staff recommendations for GP2020 density (April 2004): semi-rural and rural - 1 dwelling unit (du)
per 2, 4, and 20 acres.
Harmony Grove Meadows has proposed increased density
requiring a General Plan Amendment (GPA): Village density of 2 du/acre; in actuality a development of 216 single family
residential homes clustered on 36 acres of an 111 acre site; 3 exits/entrances onto Country Club Drive. Rationale
for County Staff recommendations to zone for semi-rural and rural densities*: Village densities would create a need for a
substantially upgraded road network, likely including development of the SC1375 connection
to Escondido. During the consensus building process, staff worked with the community to develop a plan that would not initiate
construction of this road. Village densities would also negatively impact the character of the adjacent historic community
(Harmony Grove Spiritualist Association), the established neighborhood, and the planned Harmony Grove Village. In order to
accommodate more density, Semi-rural densities of 1 du/2 acres were extended from the north onto the flat, disturbed areas
of the property. 1 du/4 acres was assigned to the remaining more developable lands. 1 du/20 acres was assigned to the steeply
sloped, environmentally sensitive portion of the property for consistency with the treatment of similar areas regionally.
Increasing densities to 2 du/acre in the area would increase the level of service on Elfin Forest Road. From County Document
"Community Matrix," attachment B B-194, North County Communities; residential property referral #58 and #59.
 October 2005:
The county staff has recently recommended denial of this project. The applicant for this development was Brehm
Communities. The project site consisted of approximately 131 acres, and was to be developed with approximately 225 homes
on minimum 5,000 square foot lots. There was also discussion of adding a North/Southbound road along the west end,
which would connect to La Moree Drive in San Marcos.
PPH officials meet with neighbors over hospital concerns
Aug 31, 2006
- Article in North County Times
ESCONDIDO -- Officials with Palomar Pomerado Health on Thursday
(Aug 31) tried to allay neighbors' fears that the district's new mega-hospital on the west end town would become an environmental
nuisance for their area.
Board Chairman Marcelo Rivera and architects for the project met with about two dozen residents
of Eden Valley and Harmony Grove, west of the Escondido Research and Technology Center where the district plans to build its
$690 million medical campus.
Palomar Pomerado plans to build an 11-story hospital tower on the property, and then several
outpatient clinics and medical offices. Construction on the 1.8 million-square-foot development is expected to begin early
next year. District officials anticipate finishing the 453-bed hospital in 2011, followed by the remaining buildings.
But
the pending construction boom on the hill above their houses has many residents worried about everything from the landscape
of the property, to ambulance and helicopter noise, to lights in the night sky.
Rivera told the crowd that the board
wanted to work as much as possible to resolve any community concerns, but cautioned that the district also needed to build
the best, most modern facility it can on the 46 acres it owns at the hillside park.
"We will try to make accommodations
when we can," Rivera said. "But I am not here to make promises we cannot keep."
Many of those who attended the meeting
worried about how the light from the development would affect the night skies. "In the community to the west, we have
dark skies (without streetlights)," said Janean Huston. "To us (the hospital) would be this big, mammoth light coming down."
Mike
Shanahan, the district's chief architect, said his design team was trying to minimize as much as possible the light that would
emanate from the facility, but told the crowd that they "would see some light."
Other neighbors worried about noise
from ambulances and the helicopter pad, which is expected to receive about one flight each day.
Alan Geller asked Palomar
Pomerado officials if they had considered buying sound-proof windows for the neighbors. "They're very effective," he
said. Rivera said that it was unlikely the hospital district would be able to pay to upgrade neighbors' houses.
Some
at the meeting asked the district to guarantee that landscaping along the business park will adequately cover the slopes,
so as that it blends in more with the rural community it neighbors.
Two weeks ago, the park's owner, JRMC Real Estate,
petitioned the Escondido City Council to relax its landscaping standards at the site. The council denied the request, which
Palomar Pomerado also opposed.
Other residents had more specific concerns for their property. Kimberly Panno,
whose home sits immediately south of the business park, said she worried about her family's privacy once the proposed five-story
medical buildings on the campus are built.
Panno said she understands that the city has approved the project and that
the district would meet all necessary environmental regulations, "but you have no idea what you're doing to some of these
families."
The Escondido council approved the plan in February, after a majority engaged the district in a bitter feud
over moving the hospital from downtown to the business park, which some members had hoped to reserve for a high-tech business
hub.
Shanahan said Thursday's meeting would be the first of many with local community groups during the development
process. "We're going to take into account your concerns and continue to work on the design, and we'll be back out with
public forums like this," Shanahan said.
If anything, the session appeared to alleviate some residents' worries, or
at least reassure them that the district was listening to them.
Huston said that, after having attended similar sessions
with developers of other projects, she was a little skeptical of Palomar Pomerado's promises to work with residents when it
could. But she said the meeting was a good first step. "We're past the point where we can try and stop a hospital from
going there," Huston said. "So now, (we hope) we can make them understand our issues as residents ... how it affects our properties."
August 2005:
Michael Crews has confirmed that their plan is to build 72 homes on the 44 acres at the North end of Eden Valley (outlined in green
on map above), with intention to seek annexation into the City of Escondido.
According to Jay Paul, at the Planning Division for the City of Escondido this will have to go through the
approval process and faces a number of issues including general plan land use boundaries, topography, and mitigation for natural
habitat.
The General Plan designation for the property is split between Estate 1 (1 dwelling unit per acre) and Estate II (2 dwelling
units per acre). The maximum yield also is based on the steepness of the existing topography. As part of the annexation
process, the City Council would establish the appropriate zoning for the property based on the General Plan land-use designations.
The applicant will be processing a Planned Development, which would allow clustering of units (which allows smaller lot sizes
than standard zoning, but does not allow more lots/yield) than allowed by the general plan). However, for every square
foot of lot size that is decreased, the same amount of area has to be put into open space area, and a minimum of 50% of the
lots must abut open space area. The applicant is not requesting to allow more lots than the City General Plan would
allow.
The project may have issues that would need to be addressed (appropriatness of the lots sizes, number of lots, orientation
of the lots, grading design, etc.). The property does contain a lot of granite, and blasting would be required. The
City will conduct a neighborhood meeting when they have more technical studies to share with the neighborhood.
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