FALLBROOK - A sweeping expansion and renovation project at Pala Mesa Resort off Old Highway 395 would include a spa, a 55,000 square-foot lodge, a permanent wedding facility and hundreds of new guest rooms, officials said last week.

However, local planners said they were already concerned that the expansion might hurt the tranquil area that surrounds the resort and that makes it such an attractive getaway.

Built in the 1960's, the resort draws thousands of golfers, diners and travelers each year to the northern edge of San Diego County, where granite hills and natural brush line Interstate 15 as it sweeps toward Temecula. In addition to tourists, the resort serves about 3,000 members who are enrolled in Pala Mesa's golf, tennis or dining programs.

Planning the resort's expensive face-lift will take at least 18 months, including time for environmental reports, permitting and construction, local planners said.

Construction won't begin for several years and a price tag for the work is still unclear, project manager Stephanie Morgan said last week.

"We're not far enough along yet to know that," Morgan said. "It's a multimillion dollar project, that's about as close as I can get."

The resort submitted preliminary plans for the project to the county last week, and the planning group's April 16 agenda included an overview of the project, with facts and figures but no estimate of the cost.

As for whether the expansion will affect the resort's main attraction, a 114-acre golf course, Morgan said the upgrades would be subtle. There may be an extra sand trap and water feature at certain points, but "nothing that significant - minor tweaks, but nothing drastic," she added.

One local planner, Fallbrook Planning Group member Eileen Delaney, said Thursday that she liked the look of the plan, but thought it may try to do too much with the space the resort has to work with.

"I think it's very beautiful, what they'd like to do," said Delaney. "The architecture and the design are beautiful, but I'm very concerned about the traffic impact, the lack of parking, and the density of what they're doing. I think they need to take a realistic look at the property they have, and try not to pack so much into it."

During a meeting on April 16, other planning group members voiced similar concerns. The group did not make a recommendation, but voted to continue the proposal to a later meeting.

Changes outlined

Touring the grounds at Pala Mesa Resort on Wednesday, Morgan pointed out several features that would be replaced or modified under the expansion plan.

A huge tent on the hillside behind the golf course that has been used for years to host wedding receptions would be replaced with a permanent structure, "which is more in character with the other architecture you see here," she said.

Another feature of the renovation would be to replace 133 condo and hotel rooms to make them "more consistent with what the market demands today," she said.

Elsewhere on the property, a 7,825-square-foot ballroom would be added to the restaurant and conference center building that fronts Old Highway 395.

New construction

In the proposal submitted to the planning group two weeks ago, two new buildings would make up a large part of the expansion half of the project, Morgan said.

First, a three-story, 55,000 square-foot building would replace the existing snack bar, golf shop and cart barn just west of the main building. The new structure would include room for all of those functions, plus administration offices and 54 guest rooms, according to the plan.

The part of the plan that is perhaps the most unique is a 34,000-square-foot building that would incorporate a full-service spa and 30 hotel rooms near the southwest end of the resort's core, Morgan said.

Other new construction would include 148 residential condos, 87 two-story town houses and 61 three-story town houses.

Permits and reports

As with other large construction projects, the proposed expansion and renovation will require the resort to prepare an environmental impact report. Morgan said officials hope to complete the first draft of the report within six months.

Then, a host of other building permits and county approvals will be required before construction could begin.

"We're hoping to wrap up all our entitlements and approvals in the next 18 months," she said.

Morgan said the resort began considering a face-lift in 2003, but backed away from that in order to take more time to study the market.

"We decided to step back and take a look at where the resort market was going," she said, adding that the current plan reflects modern trends for upscale travel destinations.

Feedback

During a meeting of Pala Mesa Resort members Wednesday night, hundreds of people showed up to hear the plan for expanding and renovating the resort, Morgan said.

"It went really, really well," Morgan said. "There was a lot of interest in the project, and a lot of support. I think everyone's excited."

Rhonda Reinke, who until last week was chief of the Fallbrook Area Visitors Bureau, sent out an e-mail three weeks ago to gauge the community's feelings about the project, and said last week that she has received nothing but positive responses.

The Fallbrook Planning Group, however, has its concerns. Parking and density are two of them, said Delaney. She said the plan also calls for structure heights that exceed limits for the area, such as the three-story town houses.

"We were very, very strong about those issues - the parking, the height limit, the density and the traffic impact," she said of the April 16 planning meeting where the project was discussed.

As to what the new buildings would be used for, Delaney said she thinks that the resort has some good ideas, as long as there's enough parking to accommodate the extra guests.

"Everybody likes a spa. I don't have a problem with that, my problem is with the lack of parking. It is very difficult to find a parking space as it is now," she said.

Otherwise, Delaney said, she supports the resort and its ambitious plan to upgrade its grounds.

"We support them, they are good for the community as far as jobs and all that," she said.

Morgan declined to respond to the Fallbrook Planning Group's concerns, simply saying, "We've been working with them diligently, and will continue to do so in the future."

- Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 731-5799 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.