[quote=SkyRanchOwner]I wanted to respond to some of your comments…
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As far as the Las Colinas Women’s Dentention Center/Jail. That was a concern of ours too, yet it is a women’s only facility. Plus, there are current lawsuits filed by the City of Santee and the Developers of Riverwalk to have the jail relocated. There has been recent talk of the proposal to expand and update the facility, yet the Santee community is pushing to have it relocated. This is a facility that is left over from the 60’s. Here is a link for more info: http://nojailexpansion.com/
The issue of buying a new home is big to me because all the plumbing, electrical, framing, etc. is brand new. There are no issues with having to remodel, fix plumbing or electrical problems, etc. I walk in, paint, plant my furniture, and have time to do other things.
We figured out of all the areas, the pricing here seems the most reasonable without having to have a major commute like living in San Marcos or Chula Vista. Lennar has discounting the prices to match the current market, so you are less likely to have much depreciation. Check trulia’s real estate statistics on your own. Also, Sky Ranch is a unique community. Once it builds and sells out, it will be hard to find a house for sale. http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Santee-California/
I’ve gone through many of the thoughts being discussed here, and we decided to buy. We have been even more pleased after our purchase here in Sky Ranch.[/quote]
Jail land to be acquired by eminent domain
Legal action OK’d for expanded Las Colinas facility
By Michele Clock, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Friday, April 30, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.
SANTEE — An effort to replace the region’s only all-female jail — an endeavor that has drawn three lawsuits — has become even more complicated.
County supervisors this week voted 4-1, with Dianne Jacob dissenting, to use eminent domain to take control of about 15 acres in Santee needed for the new Las Colinas Detention Facility. Although the county currently owns the land, it is trying to seize the development rights on the acreage from Minneapolis-based developer Ryan Cos., which is developing a mixed-use project on more than 100 acres in the area.
County officials said they have tried to negotiate with Ryan. Now they plan to proceed with the new legal action in San Diego Superior Court in the coming weeks.
The county wants to have a new, 1,216-bed jail operating in late 2014 or early 2015. The 45-acre facility would replace the current 16-acre grounds, which date to the 1960s.
“The county must acquire Ryan’s development rights so the project can proceed,” April Heinze, the county’s director of general services, told the supervisors at a meeting Tuesday.
Ryan officials declined to comment, but an attorney representing the company argued at the meeting that the county had not met the legal requirements necessary to move ahead with eminent domain.
Replacement of Las Colinas is at the top of the county’s infrastructure to-do list. Officials have said the new jail is badly needed to relieve overcrowding, and numerous county grand juries have called for its replacement.
“I think I’ve been called at least three or four times to the grand jury to talk about this,” Supervisor Ron Roberts said at Tuesday’s meeting. “I would like to see this move.”
Not everyone wants to see a new jail. Residents and Santee city officials have fought strenuously against the expansion in recent years, arguing that the East County suburb is no longer an appropriate location for a jail considering the city’s growth and development. They have said a new facility would undermine the city’s economic progress and lower property values.
Both the city of Santee and Ryan Cos. filed lawsuits last year alleging that the county violated state environmental law by not adequately analyzing the project’s effects before approving the plans in 2009. The cases have been consolidated and are working their way through San Diego Superior Court, said Deborah McCarthy, chief deputy county counsel.
Santee is also appealing a decision on a separate case in which it challenged the county’s handling of a $100 million state grant to replace the jail. That grant and county funds are expected to cover the cost of the new facility.
