EastLake Tries to Profit From Bonita’s Popularity

This Sweetwater Valley community, inured to having every new subdivision within miles adopting the prestigious “Bonita” name in its title--Bonita Woods, Bonita Glen, Bonita-Long Canyon, Bonita Highlands--breathed a communal sigh of relief when the massive planned community in Chula Vista adopted the non-Bonita name of EastLake.

But EastLake developers nevertheless raised the wrath of valley dwellers with an advertising blitz heralding the opening of model homes.

“Just take 805 south to Bonita Road, then east to . . . “ the advertising message directed.

Bonita Road is neither the best road nor the quickest, most direct route to EastLake, Gretchen Burkey, a Bonita civic leader, said. But, she admits with pride, Bonita Road is the most scenic way to get to the huge, multi-thousand home project, and EastLake officials probably detoured potential homebuyers through Bonita “hoping some of our valley will rub off on their project.”

Sweetwater Valley Civic Assn. President George Kost demanded and got a promise from EastLake officials to remove the offending directions from an outsized billboard on southbound I-805, but EastLake ad men have not yet edited out Bonita Road references from all the television, radio and newspaper advertisements touting the Chula Vista planned community.