BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
1177 (Kehoe)
Hearing Date: 05/03/2010 Amended: As introduced
Consultant: Brendan McCarthy Policy Vote: NR&W 5-3, F&A 3-1
SB 1177 (Kehoe), Page 2
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BILL SUMMARY: SB 1177 requires the 22nd Agricultural District
(San Diego County Fair) to establish a 100 foot wide greenway
along the San Dieguito River. The greenway shall include a
public access trail. The bill requires the District to
permanently dedicate the greenway to public use.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund
Greenway construction $1,374 Special
*
Relocating existing buildings
$11,425Special *
DFG, DPR consultation Minor and absorbable Various
* Enterprise fund.
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STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
The 22nd Agricultural District is the state established entity
that operates the San Diego County Fairgrounds. The District
manages the San Diego County Fair and leases a horseracing track
on the fair grounds to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. The fair
grounds encompass about 400 acres in the City of Del Mar, west
of Interstate-5 and north of the San Dieguito River, plus some
additional lands east of Interstate-5.
Some of the area of the fair grounds along the San Dieguito
River is currently used for parking, while other areas are
preserved as floodway or open space.
The District has developed a 2008 Master Plan, which anticipates
significant redevelopment of the fair grounds. The Master Plan
proposes the construction of replacement exhibition halls, a
hotel, and other physical upgrades to the fair grounds. The
Master Plan also proposes to increase the greenway along the San
Dieguito River. In some areas the proposed greenway would be
SB 1177 (Kehoe), Page 2
more than 300 feet, while in other areas it would be as narrow
as 30 feet. The District indicates that it intends to pursue the
Master Plan over the next decade, but that implementation of the
Master Plan has been delayed due to the state of the economy.
SB 1177 requires the District to develop and maintain a 100 foot
wide greenway along the San Dieguito River, from Interstate-5 to
the railroad right of way at the western edge of the
fairgrounds. The greenway would be planted and maintained with
native vegetation. The District is also required to construct
and maintain a public access trail through the greenway.
The bill requires the District to consult with the Department of
Parks and Recreation and the Department of Fish and Game on the
development of the greenway and the trail. Those departments are
required to provide comments on the plan by January 1, 2012. The
District is required to incorporate the comments of those
departments and complete the construction of the greenway and
trail by January 1, 2014.
The bill prohibits the use of the greenway for development or
parking and requires the District to permanently dedicate the
land for public use.
The District estimates the cost to develop the greenway and
trail to be about $1.4 million, including costs for plans,
permitting and construction.
In addition to the direct costs to develop the greenway and
trail, there are additional costs the District foresees. Under
the current configuration of the fair grounds, there are two
maintenance facilities that would be impacted by the proposed
greenway. These buildings are accessed from the south, and that
access would be eliminated by the development of a 100 foot
greenway. Therefore, the District anticipates a need to relocate
those facilities in order to preserve access. The District
estimates the cost to relocate those facilities to be about $11
million. (Those buildings are likely to be relocated if the
Master Plan is implemented. However, the bill may require the
relocation of the buildings whether or not the Master Plan is
implemented.)
Staff notes that in order to implement the District's Master
Plan, it will likely need to get permits from both the
Department of Fish and Game and the State Coastal Commission. It
is possible that the conditions of those permits may require the
SB 1177 (Kehoe), Page 2
District to increase the setback from the San Dieguito River
and/or provide for increased public access along the River. The
extent to which such requirements would be imposed in the
permitting process is unknown.