Don Weeks and Planning Group Chair Eileen Delaney post presentation.
Fifteen members, elected by Fallbrook citizens, comprise the non-partisan Fallbrook Community Planning Group (CPG or PG). This group officially represents Fallbrook to San Diego County for land use and design review. Elections cover the first seven members one year and the last eight the next two years. Members serve for four years and meet on the third Monday every month in a hybrid meeting. Although there have been struggles online, the public can listen and hear about the CPG’s work. There are five subcommittees.
- The Land-Use group covers the development pertaining to the zoning and number/type of dwellings according to the community plan. For example, buildings can be no more than 35 feet for fire safety and rescue.
- Roads, sidewalks and trails is handled by the Circulation team.
- Parks and recreation looks at off-road trails, park development and public recreation facilities. For example, there is a big park coming off Fallbrook Street and Golden Lane.
- Utility-related projects go through the Public Facilities group. Due to Federal laws, input is limited in this area. For example, they can’t handle the health concerns related to cell towers. They do ask downtown areas to hide cell towers in trees, flagpoles or other pleasing options.
- The Design Review sub-committee has become the most important because our outdated design guidelines were enacted in 1989. This sub-committee works to rejuvenate these guidelines to consider the architecture and esthetics. For example, signage is a big issue avoiding rooftop signs to keep our town’s character. County regulations apply to signs that should be removed from their fences and areas. The San Diego County does not move forward without the CPG’s approval from design review.
Everyone has concerns about the recent building during our drought. Unfortunately, this is State of California mandated beyond our control. Our State wants a certain amount of houses or multi-family homes, and San Diego County must do it. As long as the water companies have the ability to provide water, the building projects must continue in San Diego County. It doesn’t matter if the water is actually available. It is a frustrating problem. The CPG wants to make it as nice as possible despite the fact that there is no choice regarding the building requirements.
Traffic is a large issue. Stop signs require review from the County’s Traffic Advisory group that gets input from the Engineers, Department of Public Works, Sheriff’s Department, and Highway Patrol. It will take three to five years to ask for a stop sign to handle the high traffic volumes coming from the military base. The Sandia Creek closure was a nightmare. Traffic reports were not from the County and may not be accurate. It certainly impacts Mission Road to stop people from going through De Luz.
On an exciting note, the Revitalization group determines what Fallbrook wants to become in the future — when we grow up. What do we want? Bike lanes? Better buildings? More businesses? Outdoor dining? Should we close Main Avenue given that it was paid for with tax dollars? This group wants to hear what you want for your town.