San Diego
The San Diego City Council voted unanimously Monday to allow Caltrans to start working on 78 acres in Mission Trails Regional Park to compensate for anticipated damage to the least Bell’s vireo habitat from construction of California 52.
The council also authorized city staffers to negotiate with users of the Hollins Lake Senior Recreation Facility to find a way to avoid closing the campground and fishing area. Under plans for construction of the Caltrans mitigation site, heavy equipment needed to move earth is to be routed through the recreation area, closing it indefinitely.
The council directed Caltrans, city officials and park users to return next week with a settlement of the issue, which Monday brought elderly protesters to City Hall.
Caltrans, which has offered $1.2 million for the land, wants to begin work on the site soon so it can have it prepared for the birds’ nesting season this fall.
Construction of the highway, from Santo Road in San Diego to California 67 in Santee, cannot begin until a nesting ground has been established in the mitigation area, said Gary Klein, project studies engineer for Caltrans.
The council also voted unanimously to accept an alignment of California 52 approved by Santee, the San Diego Assn. of Governments and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which would have the least effect on the bird habitat.
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