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Reinstating Santee’s Commitment to Preserving Sensitive Hillsides, Ridgelines, and Scenic Viewsheds:
Fanita Ranch, East Elliot, and other areas adjacent to MCAS Miramar have ancient landslides and extremely steep, fire-prone slopes, which render these areas particularly unsuitable for intensive development. Rattlesnake Mountain, while geologically more stable, is visually prominent and has similarly steep, fire-prone slopes. In the past, both the City voters and the City’s land use regulations have emphasized the importance of protecting such slopes from intensive development. In a 1999 city-wide referendum, for instance, City voters rejected aproposal to develop 2,988 units on Fanita Ranch. The City Attorney’s official Impartial Analysis for that ballot measure stated that the development contemplated by the Fanita Ranch Specific Plan approved by the City Council “would contribute to cumulatively significant and unmitigable long-term impacts on regional traffic, air quality, water quality, and noise.” Impartial Analysis Measure B, 1999 Special Election. The same Impartial Analysis further stated that, without mitigation, “the Fanita Ranch project could have potentially significant environmental effects in the following areas: land use, traffic, hydrology, and water quality, visual quality, geology and soils, biology, air quality, noise, public services, cultural resources, and energy.”
Recent actions by the City Council, however, have weakened the City’s protections for steeply sloped lands. Accordingly, this Initiative will amend the General Plan to reinstate and strengthen the City’s commitment to preserving sensitive hillsides, ridgelines, and scenic viewsheds. These amendments affirm that Fanita Ranch, Rattlesnake Mountain, and other steeply sloped lands within the City and its adjacent Planning Area provide valuable viewsheds for City residents, protect existing homeowners from landslides and flooding, and generally enrich the City by defining its geographic sense of place.
The MCAS Miramar/Santee Hillside Protection Initiative will reinstate the density restrictions that have protected city hillsides for the past twenty years. Steep fire-prone slopes of 25% or more will again be limited to 25% of the base density. For example, an 8-acre parcel with Hillside Limited Zoning (0-1 unit/acre) in this slope category, will be allowed 2 homes (See the petition or page 9 of the Initiative).
City Council's latest action doubles this number to 4 homes. Council action is then multiplied on hundreds of acres of prominent hillsides throughout Santee.The Santee City Council is allowing more houses to be built on steep fire-prone hillsides by reducing protections for steep slopes within the City General Plan and Zoning Ordinance. Density restrictions based on steepness of slope were relaxed and Land Use Designations for parcels were changed during last year's General Plan Update. Degrading citywide views, increasing risk of floods, landslides, and increasing the burden of fire protection is regrettable in light of the recent Cedar Fire. Vote Yes to reinstate hillside protections.
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