SAN DIEGO COUNTY ELECTIONS : State-by-State Election Reports of Key Races and Issues : MacDonald Also Wins Delay in Key Decision

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors, heeding a request by newly elected member John MacDonald, agreed Wednesday to postpone until next year a controversial decision on the density of residential development in Fallbrook.

The unanimous vote represented an early victory for MacDonald, an Oceanside councilman who swept into office over attorney Clyde Romney with nearly 60% of the vote Tuesday. At the request of supporters in Fallbrook, MacDonald asked the board to delay action so that he could study the issue and be present for the crucial vote.

“This is very important to my brand-new constituents in Fallbrook,” MacDonald said, “so I ask that you allow me to familiarize myself with the issue and get input from the community.”

After hearing from a dozen Fallbrook residents divided on the question of whether to postpone the matter, the board agreed to MacDonald’s request. A new hearing will be scheduled in March.

“I think it’s fair to wait on this one,” Supervisor Susan Golding said, “but I don’t want to see us suspend all land-use decisions in the 5th District until January,” when MacDonald will replace Supervisor Paul Eckert.

In a companion action, the supervisors extended a moratorium on high-density development in the town for one year or until new standards governing building are set. The board also voted unanimously, with Supervisors Brian Bilbray and Leon Williams absent, to reduce allowable building densities on land targeted for a controversial subdivision known as Sycamore Springs. That action reduced the number of homes in the project, due before the board later this month, from 1,240 to 854.

Under the moratorium, a house can be built only on a parcel of one acre or more and new houses cannot be connected to a sewer system. The moratorium, imposed in May and extended in June, was imposed at the request of slow-growth advocates in Fallbrook, who contend that existing county standards for development are too lenient and threaten the rural character of their inland community.

The item postponed by the board Wednesday is at the center of a growing feud over growth in Fallbrook, where the desire to slow the pace of development has sparked a campaign for cityhood. At issue is the density of residential development, or the number of houses allowed per acre.

Last year, supervisors amended land-use plans in the 56-square-mile Fallbrook area, a move that allowed developers to build at greater densities. The action infuriated many local residents and triggered formation of Friends of Rural Lifestyle, a group dedicated to maintaining Fallbrook’s country flavor.

FORL has sued the county over the altered regulations. The legal action is still pending.

In response to the suit, the board imposed the moratorium and agreed to review the land-use amendments. When they consider the matter next year, supervisors will choose from among three alternative proposals.

FORL favors an approach that limits development to one home per two acres in all territory outside of the downtown area. The Fallbrook Planning Group, an advisory body to the Board of Supervisors, recommends a variation on that theme that is less restrictive, and the county Planning Department advises creation of a “buffer” zone, allowing one home on each one-acre lot, between downtown and the less densely developed outlying areas.