An Analysis by Kit Wilson

What will become of North County’s mega property, Rancho Guejito? Is it destined to be developed or conserved? At 22,000 acres and big enough to reach from east Escondido to Melrose in Vista, it certainly is large enough to contain many developments and has a good deal of suitable terrain. A community of that size is more than just another misplaced urban development and would, by needs, have a commercial and retail zone to support its inhabitants. If development happens along the lines of stories in the newspapers with something in the ballpark of 10,000 new homes for a population of over 20,000 we will have a sizeable new town called Guejito.
This is the future suggested for the last rancho where time seems to have stayed out of place since the days of the Mexican Dons and Californio’s when the Battle of San Pasqual happened just down the hill and the Guejito’s 1st owner took a shot at the soldier taking down the Mexican flag over Old Town.
But for any development to happen it must be profitable for the developer and approved by the County. The Guejito owner has promised to pursue development until a profitable plan is approved. Given the setting of Rancho Guejito it will take the large scale development the owner has suggested for residential building to be profitable. Overcoming the physical and political obstacles to such a project is more than a little challenging.
Physically the Guejito Ranch hasn’t been in the path of commerce since cowhide was San Diego’s main export, and so it is astonishingly lacking in any infrastructure. Despite having the expansive mild grasslands that have been prime locations for development around the County the Ranch does not appear to have a significant power line, a utility easement, a paved road, or a permanent resident on its 21,600 legendary acres.
The ranch’s proximity to Escondido has made it the target of development speculation since Jacob Gruendike owned it in the early 1900s and was building the Hotel Del Coronado. Gruendike was also president of the Escondido Land and Town Co. with 12,800 acres which is now the City of Escondido. Rancho Guejito may have been a tempting target for Gruendike as well but the geography between Escondido and the ranch tells a different story. The Guejito mesa is substantially higher than Ramona and can only be accessed over rugged terrain. The current owners plan is to create a major road in from San Pasqual where Highway 78 heads up the grade to Ramona. It will take a lot of homes to make a road like that profitable.
Water is another issue on the Guejito. The Guejito is outside the boundaries of the County Water Authority and must therefore rely on local sources for water. Imported water seems out of the question since CWA policy states that they will use SANDAG’s regional growth forecast for purposes of water supply planning.  In 1907 the Cupeno were evicted from Cupa at Warner Springs in one of the last forced Indian relocations. The historic 4500 acre Vineyard Ranch, which is now a part of the Guejito and the proposed location for development, was evaluated as a potential site for their reservation.  A BIA appraisal rejected the site primarily because there was not sufficient water to support a population. Again is 1972 when the Ranch and surrounding areas were evaluated by State Parks the conclusion was made that the property is not developable because of insufficient water. The Guejito has seen may plans.
The current rural trajectory for the Guejito’s path into the future was set in the early 70s when the property was last for sale and Regan was governor. The former owner Charles Lee Powell had died over 10 years before and contrary to his stated plan, had not returned to the ranch after his death. The property was put up for sale and open to the public.
A steadily increasing number of people were charmed by the ranch and soon a movement was afoot for the State to buy the Ranch and create a State Park. Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, and San Diego County all passed resolutions supporting the idea. Statewide bond measures were passed for acquisition of parks. State Parks studied the property and recommended immediate acquisition. It was all lined up until our new governor Jerry Brown vetoed the purchase.
Benjamin Coates quickly stepped in and bought the ranch which was offered for $9 million. Great fear of development swept across park supporters until Coates put the property into an agricultural preserve ruling out any chance of development. Mr. and Mrs. Coates both publicly stated their intention that the ranch not be developed however they have died and the property is now in the hands of their daughter Theodate.  Theodate has recently taken the ranch out of agricultural preserve status as a necessary step towards development, but for 35 prime development years the ranch was off the table and that will be a hard course to change.
The County General Plan reflects the no development moves made by Mr. Coates and the County’s habitat conservation plan (MSCP) reflects the judgment of ecological value made by State Parks. As is befitting an area designated by the owner for only agricultural uses the County assigned almost the entire Guejito its most rural zoning of 1 house per 40 acres. SANDAG growth projections for 2020 and even 2050 indicate for no growth in the Guejito area. Existing zoning allows for 677 dwellings on the 21,600 acre property.  This is a far cry from the 10,000 homes mentioned in the newspaper.
The State Parks report speaks of large amounts of scarce perennial native grasses in the meadowlands, Golden Eagles, Mountain Lions, many deer, and “the finest stands of Engelmann Oaks found anywhere”. The County MSCP draft plan has designated the entire ranch as suggested preserve and the environmentally preferred alternative plan for 2020 suggests a whopping 160 acres per dwelling unit or a mere 156 units. This ultimate rural designation is only seen on the Guejito parts of Mesa Grande and the Anza Borrego desert. Politically, the stage is not set for development.
Compared to the Guejito, the Merriam Mountain development, recently rejected as inappropriate or leapfrog development, was an ideal large development site. MM is just minutes north of Escondido at a major Freeway interchange. The habitat is not outstanding and includes many roads and an existing commercial gravel mine. MM plans included as large a part of the site for dedicated open space preserve as the Guejito owners have proposed. And the zoning changes asked for were modest compared to Guejito plans. Even Supervisor Horn who took heat for supporting MM flatly rejects the idea of developing on the Guejito.
Rancho Guejito stayed in its agricultural time capsule during San Diego’s boom growth years while vast swaths of open spaces were developed. Now times have changed. The Guejito still has great value in many ways but a town called Guejito seems unlikely.