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RANCHO SFNEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 6, NO. 5
THISWEEK
Winning whippet
le b a u Val ons on p cou age 35 P
TO THE TOP
■ Ranch dog takes home honors
from prestigious Westminster show By Patty McCormac
GREAT HEALTH CARE IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK
RANCHO SANTA FE — Seconds before stepping into the spotlight at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, handler Lori Wilson, looked down and said: “Chanel, we’re going into the Best of Show at Westminster.” Chanel did not hesitate at all, as if she was saying, “Let’s go,” Wilson said. “It was thrilling.” Although the beautiful whippet lost Best of Show honors to Sadie, a Scottish Terrier from Michigan, the local girl did pretty well for herself anyway. She earned Best of Breed and Best in Group honors at the most prestigious dog show in the U.S. Her owners Lori and Carey
The second in a 4-part series about Encinitas as a top-notch health 3 care destination
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Brick crossing rejected 6 to 1 By Bianca Kaplanek
A local woman became the first paraplegic to reach the summit of Tanzania’s 19,000-foot 5 Mount Kilimanjaro
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Consumer Reports . . . . . 14 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . . 4 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . 13 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . 16 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . . 21 Machel’s Ranch . . . . . . . 15 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Outside Perspective . . . . 4 Pet of the Week . . . . . . . 22 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . . 13 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . 12
FEB. 26, 2010
TURN TO DOG ON 24
RANCHO SANTA FE — Emphasizing that fiscal responsibility is a higher priority than aesthetics, the Rancho Santa Fe Association board of directors disagreed with a recommendation from the Road and Planning Committee and voted 6-1 at the Feb. 18 meeting not to allocate approximately $21,000 for brickwork to enhance crosswalks as part of the La Granada and Via de Santa Fe intersection realignment project. In February 2002, the TURN TO BRICK ON 24
Stranger danger in the Ranch By Patty McCormac
Board OKs extension for plans to develop 39-acre lot By Bianca Kaplanek
RANCHO SANTA FE — A development firm seeking a two-year extension for a planned subdivision on Del Dios Highway got exactly what it asked for — but just barely. With a 4-3 vote at the Feb. 18 meeting, the Rancho Santa Fe Association board of directors granted a second and final extension to Quantum Estates II Inc., giving the company until May 6, 2012, to finalize its subdivision map for the 39.4-acre lot at the eastern boundary of the Covenant. In May 2004, despite a recommendation from the Art Jury to deny the application, the board approved the proposed subdivision with a 5-2 vote, giving the developer four years to submit its final plans. But the county didn’t approve the tentative map until 2008, according to
Ivan Holler, the Covenant administrator. Quantum requested and was granted a one-timeonly two-year extension that was allowed under the association regulatory code. On Feb. 2, 2010 — with a declining economy, no final plans and a looming deadline — the developer sent a letter to the association seeking another extension, citing a recent California law that automatically grants such extensions to all pending subdivision maps that would expire before Jan. 1, 2012. “Do we have any choice?” director Jack Queen asked. Recalling that the proposal was “extremely controversial to begin with,” he wanted to delay a decision for one month and give staff time to review the plans. Based on the Art Jury’s
original recommendation to deny, he said this would give the board an opportunity to perhaps correct any flaws that were overlooked in 2004. Tim Sullivan and Deb Plummer agreed. Holler said the board could deny the request, but situations under which that would generally occur — a major change in the project, the discovery of an endangered species on the property, etc. — aren’t present in this case. Director Dick Doughty said he couldn’t support a motion to delay approval. “This is kind of a settled matter,” he said. “They’ve gone through the ringer on this thing and invested a considerable amount of money. It’s only fair to grant the extension.” Queen argued that delaying a decision for one
month wasn’t likely to create a hardship, and it was still ahead of the May deadline when the application would expire. “The board needs to look at the facts and understand what it is voting on,” he said. But Doughty disagreed, saying it would be “grossly unfair” to even reopen the issue. President Bill Beckman, who cast the tie-breaking vote, agreed with Doughty. “I don’t see any point in rehashing it,” he said. “Let’s let them move ahead.” George McGill, president of Quantum Estates, said he appreciated the board’s decision. He also said that while the original approval process may have caused “a little bit of a dust up,” he would hardly describe it as “extremely TURN TO DEVELOP ON 23
RANCHO SANTA FE — Parents should be aware and warn their children about the “stranger danger” of a man driving a white pickup truck who has tried on several occasions to lure children into his vehicle in Rancho Santa Fe. Three different attempts were made by this very bold predator Feb. 12 when he tried to lure children into his truck. The attempts happened twice on La Fremontia and once on Paseo Delicias at about 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. Sheriff’s detectives say he actually drove up a driveway TURN TO STRANGER ON 23
BEWARE! This sketch depicts a reported bold predator who has approached three Rancho Santa Fe children and tired to lure them into his white pickup truck.