Doubletree's plans center around development; hundreds of homes, a hotel, open space proposed to replace golf course

By: ANDREA MOSS - Staff Writer | Wednesday, June 6, 2007 11:54 PM PDT ∞

RANCHO PENASQUITOS -- The Doubletree Golf Resort's owner unveiled a plan Wednesday to redevelop the 127-acre property with 200 single-family homes, a smaller hotel, parks, open space and other community amenities.

Before a large crowd at a Rancho Penasquitos Planning Board meeting, the revelation ended a nearly two-year wait to hear what owner Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors had in mind for the property.

Company representatives had virtually no wait, though, before residents began heavily criticism of the proposal.

More than 150 people who packed into the resort's ballroom for the 45-minute presentation on the redevelopment plan were relatively quiet as Mark Higgins, director of Cornerstone's western region, ran through a brief history of the company's ownership of the resort and reasons for wanting to renovate the property at 14455 Penasquitos Drive.

The atmosphere grew more agitated when an architect working with Cornerstone on the project took the microphone.

KTGY Group Inc. architect and planner Ken Ryan provided details about a community recreation center, a small retail center and 52 acres of parks and open space included in the redevelopment plan. News that most of the golf course would likely be replaced with proposed homes drew jeers and other angry responses.

Many people in the crowd made it clear they see the golf course as a valuable community asset and would prefer to see it preserved. People also expressed concern that the proposed project would create major traffic problems along Penasquitos Drive and nearby Carmel Mountain Road.

Most of all, residents said they were worried that the qualify of life in the community would decline if the redevelopment proposal becomes reality. That feeling was supported by at least two planning board members.

Rancho Penasquitos' community plan, which serves as a blueprint for development in the area, would have to be amended before Cornerstone could proceed with its project. The planning board will be asked to weigh in on the wisdom of that idea, as part of its advisory role to the San Diego Planning Commission and the San Diego City Council.

Planning board member Joost Bende, who had a copy of the community plan with him at Wednesday's meeting, said any recommendation the panel makes will have to carefully thought out.

"When this was written by members of this board who were here before us, obviously the presence of our natural resources was very important to us," he said. "I look at the community plan and it becomes, to me, a balancing act. You look at what's here today versus what is proposed to be developed ---- And does it fit in with our community? ---- architecturally, traffic-wise and all these other concerns."

The hotel and golf course have been a fixture for more than 25 years, though the resort has had at least one other name in the past. The community plan identifies the property as an important buffer between Interstate 15 and residential neighborhoods on the northern end of Rancho Penasquitos.

Connecticut-based Cornerstone bought the resort in 1999. The company announced its desire to redevelop the Doubletree property in 2005 and held a series of neighborhood meetings later that year to find out what residents thought about the idea.

Many people expressed opposition to the proposal at that time. On Wednesday, Higgins said Cornerstone has spent more than $8 million on repairs and improvements, including mold abatement, water-proofing, new windows and the installation of electronic door cards at the resort since the company bought the property.

The hotel is now doing nicely, maintaining an occupancy rate of over 70 percent, he said. The golf course, however, is faltering to the point that Cornerstone officials do not believe further investment would reverse that trend, said Higgins.

He blamed the problem on the size of the course ---- 121 acres are roughly half that of more successful golf courses ---- the fact that it was built in the 1960s, and the steep grade on one section of the layout.

"We don't think it is sustainable over the long-term," Higgins said.

Ryan said that Cornerstone is still deciding whether to pursue the development plan or just sell the property.

Higgins and Ryan said feedback Cornerstone received during its 2005 interactions with Rancho Penasquitos residents included the desire for a gathering place and an open-space setting, an aversion to new apartment complexes and concerns about noise and traffic. They said that information helped shape the redevelopment plan. Layouts displayed at the meeting show small parks and walking trails around what is now the outside edge of the golf course.

The houses would be high-end ones set back from existing homes and mostly hidden by large trees. The new hotel, 1,500-square-foot community center and the retail center with small restaurants and shops would be located near Penasquitos Drive's intersection with Carmel Mountain Road on the property's eastern end.

Ryan said an intersection with a traffic light to be added at Penasquitos Drive and Cuca Street, and a new right-turn-only entrance and exit near the new hotel would keep traffic at current levels after the project is finished.

A long line of residents waited to comment on the proposal at 9 p.m. Those who had already shared their thoughts said they believed traffic would still be a major problem.

"As I think you can see, we don't want to see 200 homes developed here," 11-year resident Aaron Barrish said when audience members got a chance to step up to the microphone. "There's a reason we moved here."

-- Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.

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