Fees charged to developers of new housing and commercial projects in Escondido will rise significantly in the coming years following a vote of the city council this week.
Negotiations between Palomar Health and a developer to redevelop the old Palomar Hospital site as a mixed-use residential/retail complex on the east side of Escondido’s downtown area could be in the final stages.
A divided Escondido City Council has approved the 510-unit Palomar Heights project, a development that will replace the former Palomar Hospital campus with a mix of housing types and commercial uses advocates say will spur revitalization of the city’s downtown corridor.
The project was approved last week on a 3-2 vote, with council members Mike Morasco, Tina Inscoe and Joe Garcia in favor, and Mayor Paul McNamara and Councilwoman Consuelo Martinez voting no.
By the same margin, the council voted to exempt the project from a requirement to join the city’s Community Facilities District, a mechanism established by the council last year to recover the costs of providing city services to new developments.