The clock has begun ticking in earnest toward an early 2018 decision by the Escondido City Council whether to allow the construction of 550 luxury homes in the mountains above the zoo’s Safari Park in the San Pasqual Valley.
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A coalition of environmental and community groups has taken aim at a proposal to build 550 estate homes on a vacant 1,100-acre parcel north of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, contending the project faces “insurmountable obstacles” due to wildfire risks and potential loss of plant and animal habitat.
In a letter sent to the Escondido City Council last week, the group outlined its concerns and asked the council to take a series of actions before considering approval of the project, which is expected to come before the council later this year.
Among its contentions, the letter points out that the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, has designated the project site as a “very high fire hazard severity zone.”