ERIN MASSEY News Article October 3, 2002
Escondido Creek Conservancy, County secure Del Dios property
Staff WriterESCONDIDO ---- Longtime property owner Adnan Derbas handed over a deed to 3rd District county Supervisor Pam Slater on Wednesday, marking the end of a nine-month journey by the county and local environmental groups to preserve 345 acres of Del Dios property from development.
"I am very proud to see this property is ultimately benefiting the whole community," said Derbas, who estimated that he will lose $5 million by not developing the land. "It's not a loss (of money) as long as people can get use out of the land. You don't always work for money in your life."
Slater and the Escondido Creek Conservancy held a news conference Wednesday to announce the close of escrow on the land just southeast of Via Rancho Parkway and Del Dios Highway, which was originally slated for an 84-home project.
"This property is home to nesting golden eagles and other protected habitat," Slater said. "This is really pristine habitat that connects to watersheds. It is so difficult to acquire significant sized parcels like this in this area."
The county paid $1.2 million for 92 acres on the back side of the property, but that was all the county could afford this year, Slater said.
So the Escondido Creek Conservancy stepped in, taking out a $3.3 million loan to buy the remaining 253-acre parcel, said Leonard Wittwer, the conservancy president. The conservancy plans to maintain the land, raise money to pay back the loan, and ultimately sell the land back to the county at the same price in three years, Wittwer added.
"This is a way to connect even more of the open space in North County," Wittwer said. "Not only is there the value for wildlife, but for humans as well. The ridgeline will get protected instead of being covered with homes."
A 4.4-acre parcel was purchased by the San Diego County Water Authority for watershed uses. The rest of the land in the area will be turned into public trails in the next two years, Slater said. The county hopes to create hiking trails and incorporate the property into more than 1,600 acres of open space that will connect with trails in the Elfin Forest Recreation Reserve and with the San Dieguito River Valley Park, she added.
The link is crucial in the river park's proposed Crest-to-Crest trail stretching from the ocean far inland, Wittwer said.
Derbas said he purchased the property 20 years ago with plans to one day build a ranch there. His son lived on the property but the house was destroyed in the 1998 Del Dios fire. Since the house was registered as historic, rebuilding it was riddled with restrictions, causing the family to lose interest in living on the land, he said.
So Derbas decided to develop the parcel into estate-sized homes. He went to the city of Escondido in who is the county representative for the area. When she approached Derbas about not developing the property, he agreed to meet with her.
"We had one hour-and-a-half meeting and it just started going," Slater said. "There were no problems; it just started going forward from there."
Derbas credits Slater with bringing the project to fruition.
"Without Pam Slater's persistent effort, this would not have come about," he said.
The Escondido Creek Conservancy, which is working toward a long-term goal of preserving 3,000 acres of open space, also credits the county and local supporters for helping it to acquire the land. The group now owns 360 acres.
"This started out as a pipe dream," said conservancy member Nancy Reed. "No one ever thought this would come to a reality, but here we are."
Contact staff writer Erin Massey at (760) 740-5416 or emassey@nctimes.com.
10/3/02