Carmel Valley planning board briefs
Jan. 12 meeting

By Karen Billling

Lightner updates board on PHR park
San Diego City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner visited the Carmel Valley Community Planning Board's Jan. 12 meeting to update the board on what she is working on in 2010.
Lightner told the board that the appraisal had finally come in on Gonzales Canyon Neighborhood Park, the overdue park in Pacific Highlands Ranch. The city's real estate assets department started the process of acquiring the land from Pardee Homes over two years ago, but there have been disagreements over the price.
Last year, the planning board was told residents might have to wait until 2015 to get the 5-acre park on Pacific Highlands Ranch Parkway, despite the fact that the community already has $8.5 million ready to design and build the park through facilities benefit assessments.
Budget constraints have kept the city from building any new parks in San Diego, as they do not have funds to maintain them once built. Pacific Highlands Ranch representatives continue to look at ways to include the park in a maintenance assessment district, which would have PHR residents pay to keep up the park.
In her update, Lightner said that council continues to look at possible brown-outs at fire stations, but does not yet know if Carmel Valley's local stations will be affected. Lightner said she was also recently elected the vice chair of the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority. The city has eliminated payments to the river park from their parks department budget, but Lightner is looking at whether the city will be able to transfer the budget to the Public Utilities Department.
Highlands Center Update
Plans to update the Del Mar Highlands Shopping Center continue and Elizabeth Schreiber, general manager, stopped by to fill the board in on the latest happenings. She said she hopes to return to the planning board's Feb. 9 meeting with more detailed plan for the renovation.
In December, they completed more than 350 customer surveys regarding what shoppers would like to see in their center. Schreiber said they are now tabulating those survey results and are also receiving numerous e-mails from the public, which have been very helpful.
UltraStar Cinemas lease is up at the end of 2010 and Schreiber said they have every intention of keeping a movie theater in that spot. The management company is currently conducting a competition among movie theater companies to see who will offer customers the best experience.
The Highlands is also dealing with several available spaces as three businesses will close by the end of the month: Foto Finish, Del Mar Floral and Eli's. Schreiber said they have been talking to replacement businesses but no leases have been signed yet.
Budget approved
The planning board approved its maintenance assessment district budget for fiscal year 2011. Carmel Valley is split between two MADs, one for the bulk of Carmel Valley and one in neighborhood 10, which includes neighborhoods around Sage Canyon School. Both budgets are proposed to have considerable funds in reserves: Carmel Valley with $1,098,379.77 and neighborhood 10 with $175,858.72. Both will be above the minimum reserve target of 10 percent of the operating budget. The budget includes landscaping, tree trimming, lighting and upkeep of Carmel Valley's medians and roadside right-of ways. The budget also includes a improvement project for the Carmel Country Road median, which is currently bare and without landscaping in one portion. The MAD continues to look at a landscaping plan for the median.
Elections upcoming
The Carmel Valley Community Planning Board will hold elections before its March 9 meeting, from 6-7 p.m. in the Carmel Valley Library. There are nine seats up for re-election and all of the incumbents will seek re-election. Incumbents include David Bartick, neighborhood 4; Dave McIntyre, neighborhood 7,;Manjeet Ranu, Pacific Highlands Ranch district 11; Anne Harvey, neighborhood 8a; Frisco White, neighborhood 8; two investor seats held by Christian Clews and Rodney Hunt, and the business seat held by Victor Manoushakian. The neighborhood 9 seat is also up for re-election, although it is vacant. The only contested race will be the business seat, as Tom Gotfredson also seeks to fill the spot.