Vacant Lot at Carlton Oaks Dr. and East Heaney Circle May Be Developed Soon

The corner of Carlton Oaks Drive and East Heaney Circle in Santee may soon see development after decades of vacancy.

The Santee City Council at their last meeting approved consideration of a change of land use from "neighborhood commercial"  to "medium-high density residential."

The property owner gave two good reasons to support the zoning change for the .4-acre plot of of land: the longtime vacancy of the site, recent unsuccessful attempts to develop as commercial.

The plans call for a ten-unit, two story structure with surface parking, similar to the Aubrey Glen development on Mission Gorge Road.

The owner said he had been submitting commercial development projects for the land since 1994. Years ago the council approved a commercial project on the property, but the owner was unsuccessful in finding tenets or funding.

"I don't think I can compete in that area to bring more business to Santee," said the land owner.

The city estimated the project could generate $16,000 to $20,000 a year in property tax revenue- more than the $0 that the property is returning to the community now.

The real estate expert on the council, Rob McNelis, said he agreed with the applicant that the location is much better for residential.

The city will now explore the feasibility of the project with the property owner.