Opposition voiced at Palomar College RB location meeting
Palomar College’s plan to purchase a 27-acre site on Rancho Bernardo Road is meeting opposition from the site’s Westwood neighbors.
“I haven’t met a soul who wants that up there,” said Greg Birch, who lives on Oculto Court.
Birch, and many of the more than two dozen residents at Wednesday’s public information meeting, said the site at 11111 Rancho Bernardo Road is a bad choice due to its proximity to Westwood and only entrance off of Rancho Bernardo Road.
Concerns voiced at the meeting included impact on the already-congested Rancho Bernardo Road and West Bernardo Drive during morning and evening rush hours, students using Westwood’s residential streets — such as Matinal and Capilla roads and adjoining cul-de-sacs — for parking, and students using Westwood streets as shortcuts between the site and Interstate 15.
They also noted the site’s sole entrance (a steep driveway) that residents say will cause further congestion for those traveling between Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch. That driveway, they said, will make use of public transportation, such as a bus, difficult and it is of considerable distance from the transit station adjacent to the industrial park.
Residents said speeding is already an issue along Matinal Road, there have been many accidents between those along the road and residents backing out of driveways, and that stretch of Rancho Bernardo Road has been the site of fatal accidents. They reminded officials that children play in the streets and existing traffic is causing noise problems.
They said there are several sites in the Rancho Bernardo Industrial Park and farther south along Interstate 15 that would be more appropriate for the college to use as an educational facility serving the southern portion of its district. The district spans from Rancho Penasquitos to Riverside County.
Palomar College has yet to purchase the site — escrow is set to close at the end of this month — and officials said they could not say what the parcel that includes a 110,000-square-foot building (designed for business use), parking for 850 vehicles and space for two additional buildings would be used for.
“We have no formal plans at this point,” said Berta Cuaron, Palomar’s assistant superintendent and vice president for instruction.
The $38.3 million purchase is to be made with money from Proposition M, approved in November 2006. The money can only be used for Palomar’s facilities, not operating expenses. These include upgrades to its main campus in San Marcos and purchasing two sites, in its northern and southern portions, to serve students, according to Mike Ellis, Palomar’s director of facilities.
Cuaron said after the purchase is complete, the college will begin an extensive process to determine what it will do with the site. That process, she said, could take at least four years.
Westwood residents, however, said the college should determine what it will do with the site prior to finalizing the purchase, because Palomar is unlikely to not use the site as a campus once it owns the property.
“This is a no-win situation for us,” said Terry Norwood, who lives on Matinal Road. “You will do basically what you want to do and it’s a done deal as far as we’re concerned.”
Norwood, like others present, asked Palomar officials to reconsider before closing escrow.
“We need you to go back to whoever is in charge of making this decision and tell them you do not think it is a good (location),” Norwood said.
“We are proceeding with the purchase and are not back-tracking on this,” Cuaron said in response.
Cuaron said, “We’re trying to be good neighbors” by holding an information meeting in response to community opposition raised soon after Palomar announced on May 11 its intent to purchase. “We would normally come out to the community later.”
Kelley Hudson-Macisaac, Palomar’s manager of facility planning/environmental health and safety, said the typical procedure is to purchase a site; complete extensive studies that determine, among other things, estimated student population, offered programs and include an environmental impact report; and then go to the community for comment via such groups as the Rancho Bernardo Planning Board.
Officials said they could not answer questions raised by residents at the hour-long meeting because its purpose was only to explain the upcoming process and hear residents’ concerns.
Only one resident, Alvin Friedman of Sun Maiden Court, said he was not in opposition to Palomar’s purchase decision.
“Today, we need education to go forth in this world,” Friedman said to his fellow Westwood residents. “Have a little faith once in a while. Give the school the opportunity to show you plans.”
Cuaron promised residents that in the future Palomar would give residents more advanced notice about meetings on the issue and schedule them at more convenient times than this one, set for 5:30 p.m. in the Rancho Bernardo-Glassman Recreation Center.
After the meeting, Birch said it “was helpful in that it will help activate the citizens of Westwood into opposing this project. It certainly let Palomar know our concerns and they have promised to work with us to make this work.”
Residents who want to be notified of future meetings can contact Laura Gropen at 760-744-1150 ext. 2152 or lgropen@palomar.edu.
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