Off-Road Park Left in Lawmakers’ Dust : Otay Mesa Developer Says He’ll Up the Ante in Next Round

A frantic last-minute attempt to secure legislative approval for a $7-million deal to build an off-road vehicle park on Otay Mesa failed Friday as lawmakers wrapped up their deliberations for the year.

As a result, developer Roque De La Fuente II said he considers his offer to lease the land “withdrawn” and that any further negotiations with the state Department of Parks and Recreation will have to include more money.

“Personally, I don’t see the off-roaders or the state doing anything until the first quarter of 1990,” De la Fuente said. “The offer on the table is going to be withdrawn by me, and, if they are going to negotiate, it’s going to be for more money.”

No Nearby Site

The deal being pushed by the off-roaders would entail the state leasing nearly 1,000 acres, most of it from De la Fuente, for 20 years so that off-road enthusiasts could legally ride their motocross bikes and three-wheelers on specially marked trails north of the Mexican border.

Off-road enthusiasts in San Diego have long complained that the closest place to ride their vehicles is 2 1/2 to 3 hours away at the 38,000-acre expanse at Ocotillo Wells, next to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Off-roaders have secured a promise from San Diego County and state officials to use proceeds from their special “green sticker” license fee to build a closer park.

But the way state officials structured their deal with De la Fuente caused lawmakers to balk at the idea earlier this year during deliberations over the state budget.

The state wanted to pay De la Fuente $5.3 million for his 920 acres up front and take over title for the land. But it would agree to sell it back to him in 20 years--when it would be worth an estimated $100 million--for only a dollar.

State officials said they are willing to pay the rent up front and take title to satisfy De la Fuente’s requirement that he not be personally liable for any lawsuits arising out of accidents on his property.

That provision caused a chorus of murmurs among legislative staffers, who also privately questioned the amount of money being offered to De la Fuente.

275% Increase in Price

A state appraiser just two years ago suggested paying De la Fuente no more than $77 an acre to lease the property; the recent asking price was about $288 an acre, nearly a 275% increase.

Robert Ham, lobbyist for the off-roaders and De la Fuente, said he and other proponents of the deal overcame those questions during a hastily called public hearing on the matter last month. Legislators were told that Otay Mesa land such as De la Fuente’s is skyrocketing in value and that any further waiting could cost the state dearly.

Ham said that, although legislators gave him the green light for the park, he was unable to find a suitable bill in which to insert the $7-million request. At one point, it looked as though it could be included in a last-minute, $48.2-million pork barrel arrangement between the governor and the Legislature, but it was set aside because other pet projects crowded it out.

Ham said his subsequent effort to stick the proposal into yet another bill during the waning hours of the 1989 legislative session were unsuccessful, leaving off-roaders to wait to bring up the deal again in January.