Vista City Council Abandons Its Land Use Policies, Destroys Semi-Rural Land
The Vista City Council has completely abandoned any interest in following its General Plan policies in the semi-rural lands adjoining rural County lands. The Council continues to support much higher density developments, that are not compatible with the semi-rural environment, even though Vista citizens oppose this.
The Council recently approved a 25-home development on Vista Grande Drive, former County land that was zoned for one-acre residential lots when it was annexed into the City. This almost doubled the density on that land. But here’s what’s coming next . . .
The next project to be approved (scheduled for November) will be a 9-acre parcel on Camino Largo, off of North Santa Fe. This land is currently zoned for 8 homes on one-acre lots, but the Council is prepared to approve a whopping 46 homes! This property is currently a nursery, and it is next to a 4-acre horse ranch, a handful of homes on one-acre parcels, the Guajome Adobe County park, and an open space creek bed providing a green area separating it from Vista’s higher density residential areas to the south.
And yet the environmental review prepared by the City completely ignores the semi-rural nature of the property and its surrounding lands.
This sets a precedent that cannot be undone. The City intends to continue annexing properties, and like dominoes, one after the other, they will continue to approve higher densities without regard to the integrity of the neighborhood or the wishes of their own citizens. How will this end?
