Guajome Alliance for Responsible Development (GuARD)
Our mission is to protect and preserve the area’s semi-rural environment and quality of life.
GuARD is a neighborhood group that has been effectively advocating for traffic safety and responsible development for 17 years. We are located in the unincorporated Guajome area of North San Diego County–north of Vista, east of Oceanside, south of Highway 76 and Bonsall.
Land Use Issues
San Diego County Board of Supervisors votes down Lilac Hills Ranch project!
The Lilac Hills area north of Escondido
On June 24, 2020, the Board of Supervisors rejected yet another request from the Lilac Hills developer to allow the development to go forward. The board finally made the right decision on this General Plan Amendment request, voting 4 to 1 against the project! The lone vote in favor of the sprawl development project was . . . wait for it . . . our very own District 5 Supervisor, Jim Desmond.
To quote supervisor Nathan Fletcher, “The general plan says this is the wrong place. The fire chief says this is wrong. The voters have said this is wrong. The courts … have said the [greenhouse gases] offset scheme associated with general plan amendments are wrong. So how many times and how many different ways over how many years do we have to be told that this just isn’t going to work?”
Voters defeat Huge Newland Sierra Project in Merriam Mountains on March 3, 2020
Merriam Mountains is directly west of Interstate 15 between San Marcos and Escondido.
The huge Newland Sierra project, a proposed development of over 2,100 homes, was on March 2020 ballot. The development was initially approved by the San Diego Board of Supervisors, but more than 117,000 county residents signed a petition to force the decision to a countywide vote. That vote was decisive: NO sprawl development on that open space land. Thank you, voters.
Unfortunately, the Safeguard our San Diego Countryside measure was defeated
The voters narrowly defeated this measure, which would have given the voters, rather than the Board of Supervisors, the deciding power to determine if General Plan Amendments should be granted to large development projects (when they do not meet General Plan zoning and land use requirements). So San Diego County residents will continue to have to fight each large, inappropriate project, as the proposals come up. See Where defeat of Measure A puts San Diego County Now, San Diego Reader, 3-10-2020.
New homes being built on fire-prone lands
“Local governments, eager to reap increased property taxes, willingly approve new home construction, even on or near the most flammable of lands.” Changes need to be made in “where and how we build in the future,” according to L.A. Times: Why Do We Keep Putting People in the Way of Wildfire?
The Center for Biological Diversity reports that San Diego County Projects to Put 40,000 People in High Fire-hazard Areas. For the Center’s detailed analysis of the impacts of these projects, read Wildfire Impacts of Poorly-planned Development in San Diego County.
Developers and politicians promoting large sprawl developments use the excuse of a “housing shortage,” conveniently ignoring the fact that such developments are NOT affordable housing. They also conveniently ignore the significant wildfire dangers. We must Stop DIsmissing Concerns About the Risks of New Homes in Wildfire Zones (Voice of San Diego)
Agricultural Land Loss
Agricultural land is being lost at an alarming rate. Here is the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s report: California Agricultural Land Loss
Saving trails and open space in the Fallbrook area
The Fallbrook Trails Council is a non-profit organization that is working to save the Santa Margarita River Valley for equestrians, bicyclists, and hikers. The mission of the council is:
- To assist in the preservation and maintenance of existing public trails and paths that provide access to open space and other paths, trails, and parks.
- To assist with design and development of new trails and paths that provides non-motorized public pedestrian, equestrian and bicycle access.
Please support us in our efforts!
BUYING A CAR?
SAVE ON TAXES!
County residents who have a Vista mailing address take note: If you are buying a new or used car you will be charged the higher tax that Vista residents pay. Tell the dealer that you DO NOT live within the city boundaries, but are in the County, and you DO NOT have to pay the higher tax rate.