Public Hearing to Be Held for Castlerock Housing Project North of Mast Blvd.

The San Diego Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on July 11 to review the proposed 430-unit Castlerock residential complex that would be developed on 204 acres north of Mast Boulevard.

The hearing starts at 9 a.m. at San Diego City Hall Council Chambers (202 C Street, San Diego). See attached flier for more details on the hearing or download here.

The development would be situated north of Mast Boulevard between Medina Drive and West Hills Parkway. Home sizes would range from 1,700 to 3,800 square feet. 

The project will be considered by the San Diego City Council at a public hearing in September, after the planning commission makes their recommendation. Though the proposed development would be nearest to Santee communities and resources, San Diego City government is addressing the development because the land is currently within the city of San Diego. One option that the planning commission will address is whether the land would be annexed to the City of Santee.

The Castlerock project has been publicly considered since about 2004, but was dropped for reasons of the economy and environment, and is now being taken back up by Pardee Homes. The most recent public meeting about the project occurred in March of 2011.

As of that meeting, the city of San Diego said they were moving forward on the project with the "Annexation Plan" in mind, only to move to Plan B if annexation isn't possible. This is a confusing situation because the City of San Diego is leading a project which, if all goes to plan, will eventually end up in Santee.

Environmental organizations, residents and Santee leaders have been contentious towards this project for nearly a decade. Concerns include fire risks, traffic impacts, affects on threatened species, and impacts on the San Diego River.

The watchdog group, Coastkeepers, sent a letter last year to the San Diego Development Services Center alleging that there isn't enough water supply to support the development. And Preserve Wild Santee has voiced their concern about impacts to wildlife in the Sycamore Canyon area.

The developer is marketing the project to families and recreational enthusiasts, according to their website. "Pardee Homes’ Castlerock community has been designed to be respectful of the natural environment and emphasize open space, energy efficiency, habitat preservation and trail access."

The Environmental Impact Report for the project can be found here.

Check back to Santee Patch for a summary of Thursday's hearing.