February 8, 2012 |
North County Times |
Permits released by San Marcos officials detail how the city will build a new downtown from scratch while restoring its creek to a natural state.
The permits, issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Fish and Game and Regional Water Quality Control Board in recent weeks, spell out the compromises and conditions entailed in the $1.5 billion project.
During the 28 years since the officials conceived the Creek District, their vision for the site has evolved from a concrete-lined channel flanked by urban development, to a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood facing an ecologically sound creek.
The final plan consists of a 217-acre, mixed-use district, including housing, shops and offices, along with a linear park and 73-acre preserve along San Marcos Creek.
"San Marcos has done exactly the right things ... both to accommodate their new downtown, and to set a new benchmark of how development should take place," said Dave Gibson, executive officer of the Regional Water Quality Control Board's San Diego Region.
Gibson said improvements required for the project will add 80 acres of wetland and other wildlife habitat, and restore the water quality and hydrology of the creek, now listed as "impaired" under the federal Clean Water Act.
"There's been illegal dumping, there's been channel (erosion), there are exotic invasive plants, and the channel is constricted in a couple of places that actually exacerbate the flooding problem," Gibson said.
Original proposals for the project would have encroached on 23 acres of waterway and wetlands, Gibson said. Later versions of the plan reduced affected habitat to about 10 acres.
The final plan will replace disrupted habitat at an 8-to-1 ratio, Gibson said ---- more than double the minimum amount the agencies usually require.
"That's almost unprecedented for our region," he said.
In coming weeks, workers will remove exotic plants including pampas grass, giant reed, and eucalyptus, tamarisk and pepper trees, while a biologist monitors for protected birds such as the southern willow flycatcher and coastal California gnatcatcher. Workers will then replant native vegetation that should improve conditions for wildlife.
"Ultimately, the goal is to create a large net increase in a variety of habitat that would be conducive to those listed species," City Engineer Mike Edwards said.
The first phase of construction will cost the city about $50 million, and will involve widening Discovery Street, installing a flood wall, and building Creekside Drive ---- a new road for the project.
During that phase, the city will also build Creekside Promenade, a park along the waterway that will provide recreational space and place a natural buffer between the creek and development.
"We think we've got a really attractive landscape design that we've created, using native and drought-tolerant plants that mesh well with the urban development further back in the creek district," Edwards said.
In subsequent phases, the city will add bridges over Bent Avenue and Via Vera Cruz, to curb flooding and allow wildlife movement along the creek corridor, Edwards said. The bridges are likely to cost about $12 million to $14 million each, he said.
With the addition of flood control and roads, Edwards said, "The city will be creating some shovel-ready building sites along the new Creekside Drive."
City officials said the final development will take 15 to 20 years, and will be worth $1.25 million to $1.5 million at completion.
Perhaps one of the most significant aspects of the district is its orientation toward the creek, Gibson said. While many urban neighborhoods use waterways as back alleys, Gibson said San Marcos has embraced the creek as its front door.
"It recognizes and acknowledges the creek as a gateway to the city, and as an amenity to make these properties more valuable," he said. "So the creek is not the dumping ground ---- it is the highlight of the new development."