Canyon Tunnel Will Continue Despite Protest

A bid by environmentalists to halt grading of a wildlife passage through a ridge in Penasquitos Canyon failed Monday when the San Diego City Council voted 7-2 not to hear an appeal of the matter.

Members of the Friends of Penasquitos Canyon, an environmental group, filed an appeal for the hearing in April after Genstar Development Co., a major landowner around the canyon, began grading a tunnel through Lopez Ridge, a finger-like protrusion that separates Penasquitos and Lopez canyons.

The tunnel is intended to permit wildlife freedom of movement between the two canyons. The company received permission from the California Coastal Commission for the project and the city granted a grading permit on April 16.

The $400,000 tunnel was recommended originally by an environmental impact report to “mitigate” residential development’s impact on area wildlife.

But when Genstar started the grading, which would ultimately require the removal of 100,000 cubic yards of dirt, environmental groups objected and on April 28 filed an appeal of the grading permit. The Friends of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve contend that the corridor is not in an ideal place for animal use and that the development company has begun the tunnel prematurely so it can claim a vested interest in another planned project nearby.

The appeal prompted the city to halt the grading while council members considered the matter. Since then, the city’s Transportation and Land Use Committee has voted to deny the appeal.

A last-ditch chance to have the full council hear the appeal failed Monday with the council vote.