Escondido

A proposal to build 640 homes on 872 acres of property about two miles west of the San Diego Wild Animal Park was rejected Wednesday night by the Escondido City Council, which sent the project back to the planning staff for revision. The development, known as Cloverdale Ranch, was turned down by a 4-1 vote of the City Council because of criticism that lots as small as 6,000 square feet, as proposed by developer Signal Landmark Inc. in order to make the project economically feasible, are too small for the rural area. The city’s planning staff had recommended that minimum lots sizes be about a half acre, while several councilmen said they might allow some 10,000-square-foot lots in the project.