Sphere of Influence - Frequently asked Questions

By Mid Hoppenrath

1. What is a SOI?

A sphere of influence (SOI) is a county area that is subject to the influence of city planning because it is destined to become annexed. The SOI means that certain policies apply to help the area become more and more urban, to make annexation easier. The city takes a special interest in how the county area within a SOI develops because it may eventually be part of the city. For example, all building permits issued by the county for Harmony Grove / Eden Valley are reviewed by Escondido. Here are some excerpts copied directly from our current North County Metropolitan Area community plan text:

*The county will cooperate in planning and regulating growth of unincorporated territory within each city's sphere of influence. Future county decisions on proposed projects in the sphere areas will take each city's planning objectives into consideration

*Identify potential commercial locations because identification of the potential commercial use of these sites if annexed to a city will serve as an incentive for the property owner to seek annexation in order to realize a more intense use of the property.

*Conduct county studies on the feasibility of amending county road standards to make them consistent with each city's standards.  Conduct a study on the feasibility of amending county ordinances relating to regulation on signs within the unincorporated area of each city's sphere of influence.

Because the residents of the rural Harmony Grove and Eden Valley did not want the intense urban planning that characterizes the North County Metro Area, they petitioned the California State agency that regulates annexation, LAFCO, to leave the SOI. The residents also asked the county to change the boundaries of the San Dieguito Planning Group (SDPG), which plans for Rancho Santa Fe, Fairbanks Ranch, Elfin Forest, and Del Dios, among other unincorporated areas, so that it would include Harmony Grove and Eden Valley. The residents submitted a new community plan text to the SDPG.

2. Won't Prop S save us from increased density if we annex to Escondido?

Prop S was instituted in 1998, and did not forestall Escondido's last attempt at annexation of Harmony Grove. Some will say that Prop S has since been tested and proves that the Escondido voters do not want higher density. What has been proved is that the Escondido voters did not want the zoning on a few small parcels to change from residential to industrial. But whether the Escondido voters will feel the same way about rezoning almost a thousand acres that can provide enough revenue from sales tax, permitting, and mitigation fees to help build new schools, improve the roads, create public parks, and add hundreds of jobs, all at no cost to them, is a very different issue. The Escondido voter may feel, as the current mayor does, that the Harmony Grove area represents one of the last remaining places to site the employment lands that Escondido so badly needs. Reliance on Prop S leaves decisions about Harmony Grove and Eden Valley property values and lifestyle in the hands of urban voters, while leaving the SOI puts the county resident in a position with the most political control.

3. The Escondido city council says it will not try to industrialize, but rather will give us nice large lot homes. What could be wrong with that?

Remember Prop S? It is not up to the mayor nor the city council to decide if Harmony Grove or Eden Valley gets homes or industry, it is up to the Escondido voter. If the voters in Escondido decide they want more jobs, better schools, improved roads, and more parks, they can vote to industrialize our valley. There are no policies to eliminate this risk.

4. Will it cost me more money to be annexed to Escondido or to leave the SOI and let the county create the village?

To determine the costs we need to remember two things: 1) no one can annex unless they are in the SOI and share a boundary with the city, and 2) Escondido's policy is to have the property owners in the annexed area pay for all improvements to the area, while the county policy is to have the developers pay for all improvements. So whether the dairy and egg ranchers decide to put luxury homes or an industrial park in the city, if we stay in the SOI those homeowners along the path to the city will be annexed and assessed; this has been estimated at $20 thousand to $25 thousand per acre in the past. In contrast, even if the county zoned for high density on the dairy and egg ranches, nearby homeowners would not be assessed.

5. What if we leave the SOI and the large land owners decide to try for more density, more houses, than our village plan allows?

The whole village concept is designed to prevent urban sprawl. Any landowner who wants more homes than is allowed by the village plan will have to ask for a General Plan Amendment. Briefly, here is the county's process for accepting changes to the General Plan. First of all, there will be moratorium on any change to the 2020 GP for 3 years following approval of the plan. After the moratorium has ended, the Board of Supervisors hears only 3 GP amendment requests each year, for the entire county, not just our area or even the north county area (they actually will hear four, but they generally reserve the last one for emergencies). It can take many years for an applicant to have their amendment request heard, depending on the number of GPA requests. Then the applicants need to do an area EIR (which is much more expensive than the site-specific EIR required by the village plan), and there must be public hearings. And unlike at Escondido public hearings, Harmony Grove and Eden Valley residents are actually the voting constituents at Board of Supervisor public hearings! It will be very difficult, and very expensive, for landowners to make a change to the county's village plan.

6. Can't we just stay in the SOI, and wait to see if the county or the city will be the better place?

Staying in a SOI means, to all county and city authorities, that the residents expect the area to be annexed. So if Harmony Grove and Eden Valley willingly stay in the SOI, the county may not approve our request to join the SDPG. The current North County Metro plan has no village concept. If we decide to leave the sphere, LAFCO may be reluctant to burden Escondido with another expensive sphere update so soon after the last. There are no guarantees. Only one thing is certain, staying in the SOI means the residents must confront continual annexation and industrialization issues.

7. If we stay in the SOI, can't we just vote to stop our annexation?

An annexation does not require a vote of those being annexed. However, if enough registered voters in the area oppose the annexation, LAFCO can hold a special vote for the county residents. Fully half of the all the registered voters must oppose the annexation to prevent it from happening.

8. What happens next?

LAFCO will hold a public hearing on whether to allow Harmony Grove to leave the SOI. It is very important that the area residents attend these hearings or at least submit written statements to LAFCO with their opinion. LAFCO will be counting each and every one of these comments, so every one is important.

For more information:

Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO)

Joe Convery, LAFCO, 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 452; San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619-531-5400

Harmony Grove Village Concept; County Policies

Dahvia Locke-Rubinstein, Planner I , Department of Planning and Land Use

County of San Diego, 5201 Ruffin Road, Suite B , San Diego, CA. 92123-1666

Phone: 858-495-5873 ; Fax: 858-694-3373 ; E-Mail: dahvia.locke@sdcounty.ca.gov

Escondido Annexation/SOI Policies

Jay Petrek, Senior Planner, City of Escondido Planning Division,

201 North Broadway; Escondido, CA 92025

Phone: 760-839-4556; Fax: 760-839-4313

San Dieguito Planning Group

Ken King, Chairperson

P.O. Box 2789

Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067

Disclaimer: This information is meant to inform area residents of the issues concerning SOIs and is not meant to be interpreted as legal or political advice. The author is not an employee of the City of Escondido, LAFCO, nor the County of San Diego, and does not claim to be their representative. This information is not endorsed by the City of Escondido, LAFCO, SDPG, NCMPA, EFHGTC, nor the County of San Diego. The reader is urged to independently verify all facts presented herein.

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09/18/2006 Copyright Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Town Council. All rights reserved. Web design by Evelyn Alemanni