Pardee Homes’ Castlerock community project one step closer to Santee annexation

In a unanimous vote, the Padre Dam Municipal Water District board supported a resolution for annexation of Pardee Homes’ Castlerock community into its water service boundaries on Oct. 16. This helps pave the way for the Castlerock housing development in becoming part of Santee—when annexation of the project was approved in a split 3-2 vote at the Santee City council meeting on Oct. 9. Final approval will come from the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission that will finalize jurisdictional changes after review.

In a unanimous vote, the Padre Dam Municipal Water District board supported a resolution for annexation of Pardee Homes’ Castlerock community into its water service boundaries on Oct. 16. This helps pave the way for the Castlerock housing development in becoming part of Santee—when annexation of the project was approved in a split 3-2 vote at the Santee City council meeting on Oct. 9. Final approval will come from the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission that will finalize jurisdictional changes after review.

Located off State Route 52 and north of Mast Blvd., and under San Diego jurisdiction now, Castlerock brings 430 single-family and multi-family homes, increasing the population by an estimated 1,000 new residents.

Jimmy Ayala, Community Development for Pardee Homes director, said he was pleased that the Padre Dam Municipal District helped fulfill the vision for the Castlerock community.

At the Oct. 9 council meeting, approval of annexing the project received support by many, welcoming new residents and projected increased revenue. But community members, Preserve a Wild Santee and residents that live adjacent to the project site presented strong opposition to the project. Major concerns included the validity of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR), the additional traffic in an already heavily congested area and the ability of the city of Santee to be able to serve the additional community in the case of mudslides, wildfires and other emergencies.

Ayala said he trusted the EIR’s conclusion. He said that water holding reservoirs are designed in the projects plan to ensure that the flow of rainfall will not increase and had full faith in the city manager and staff’s financial analysis of incorporation.

City Manager Keith Till said with the additional services and revenues, incorporation of the Castlerock project estimates a $100,000 increase in annual city revenue.

He said though city council has opposed the impact of this San Diego project’s impact on the city of Santee and that the city has no authority over the approval or disapproval. 

“If Santee does not annex this property, we stand to lose,” he said. “We lose the property tax stream needed to provide all of these additional services, and we lose nearly $6.7 million in developer fees.”

Mayor Randy Voepel said he would never support this project if it were Santee land and that if council voted against the annex that “San Diego’s big knives will come out. And we will be liable for everything that we are going to be liable for with no income whatsoever.”

He said with the project already approved and reminded that with the dissolution of Redevelopment Agencies, the city no longer had the alternative money source to take on responsibility for the project fiscally.

Ayala said that he Pardee was happy with council’s decision to annex the project and looked forward to working with the city to make the Castlerock community part of Santee.