2017: Ocean Breeze, formerly Vessels Ranch, an equestrian property located in the heart of Bonsall south of the 76, has announced plans to develop almost 400 homes on its 1,400 acres. Since the property is found in the core of Bonsall, adjacent to BUSD’s existing Elementary, Middle and High School, we believe Ocean Breeze has great potential for addressing traffic and other issues.
Ocean Breeze’s representative has said that all development will be in compliance with San Diego County’s General Plan. Development will create access roads which are important in an area with winding two-lane country roads. BUSD also estimated that 30% of its projected increase in student enrollment would come from Ocean Breeze homes. We would love to see those children walk/bike/ride to/from school on safe trails, reducing road traffic in the area and building on our rural values.
Located on bedrock, centrally located in the District and in a moderate fire zone (Gird Valley is high wildfire zone area, per San Diego County’s KnowYourHazards), with 32 public high schools and 15 private ones ringing Ocean Breeze Ranch and BUSD (plus online options), a small high school campus works when it is located in the heart of Bonsall, exactly where the high school is currently located.
BUSD should keep its centrally located, brand new high school (18,000 sq. ft., opened 2016) with its high school quality lab (estimated cost $1M) on the Sullivan Campus. on West Lilac Road in the heart of the Bonsall community. BUSD could then build out one, or even two, new middle schools to the east and west along its territory, feeding into its centrally located high school. Other assets (a library perhaps, a horse barn?) could be added on the Ocean Breeze property to benefit the students.
Because at least two schools, Bonsall Elementary and Bonsall High, would be close to each other, they could possibly share the Transportation Yard and other joint services, saving District residents money.
We envision a barn and bike/horse/walking trails to/from Bonsall Elementary and High School. Since Bonsall is an equestrian community, this plan would build on community values while enhancing property values and quality of life.
What are your thoughts? We’re sure Ocean Breeze Ranch and BUSD would be happy to listen!
We have compile the following info from the History section of our website. We hope you find it useful.
2019
Update: The County of San Diego published Ocean Breeze Ranch’s CEQA documents.
2015
October 2015: With the old Vessels Ranch sale complete, the property is renamed Ocean Breeze Ranch. The 1400-acre ranch property is located adjacent to the Bonsall Unified School District’s main campus which house its Sullivan Middle School and its Bonsall High School. “The new owner is willing to work with the school district in whatever way they can,” promises project manager Pete Fagrell.
2016
April 2016: Reports on the Gird Road site note that groundwater was found at 28.2 feet. The site, as is most of California, is “located within a seismically active region” and about 10 and 11 miles from known active faults. Analysis of the report by a retired professional engineer follows: “The Leighton Consulting April 22, 2016 geologic report reveals that the natural geologic units on the property include: young alluvial and older alluvial flood-plain deposits with a thin veneer of topsoil. The Leighton report recommends certain site preparation and remedial grading. This excavation and recompaction varies from as little as three (3) feet to five (5) feet deep for pavements and playfields to five (5) feet to ten (10) feet deep for building foot print areas. Two story construction may require substantially deeper excavation and recompaction. The concept here is to tear up the existing flood plain deposits, condition them and compact them to provide a base suitable for construction. Note there is no attempt to get down to bedrock and the test borings indicate that this alluvial soil has a depth of more than 50 feet below the existing surface. A conservative estimate of the amount of dirt to be moved at the Gird Road site for construction of a high school facility is seventy five thousand (75,000) cubic yards, roughly six thousand (6000) dump truck loads.” (NOTE: The Ocean Breeze Ranch property located adjacent to the existing Sullivan Middle School/Bonsall High School campus in Bonsall is reportedly bedrock.)
December 6, 2016: Ocean Breeze Ranch (formerly known as Vessels Ranch) sends a letter to BUSD’s Superintendent offering 92 acres for a high school site. The Ocean Breeze Ranch property is located adjacent to and surrounds the BUSD main campus in Bonsall, 8 miles south of Fallbrook’s Gird Road site. The Ocean Breeze land, freshly tilled, is is clearly visible in this image with Lilac Road running to the I-15 in the background. Ocean Breeze offers the acreage to BUSD as a school site, no money down, payments to be offset via developer’s fees as Ocean Breeze builds new homes.
2017
January 13, 2017: On Ocean Breeze Ranch’s 92 acres adjacent to the Sullivan Middle School and Bonsall’s current high school, Superintendent Cunningham says they appear “to be a good situation for a school. There are a couple of things that we like it a lot for.” The 92-acre area would allow more recreational amenities than the 50-acre Gird Road site. “It would be nice to get some more regulation playing fields there,” said Cunningham.
July 2017: Jack Wood speaks at the BUSD July 13, 2017 Board meeting. Mr. Wood currently serves on the Fallbrook Community Planning Group and served on the Real Property Advisory Committee which recommended the FUHSD declare the Gird Road property as surplus. Wood stated he agreed with the decisions made in 2010 when he chaired a committee process that resulted in Fallbrook Union High School District (FUHSD) declaring the Gird Road parcel surplus. FUHSD transferred the land, plus $2 million, to BUSD during its unification process and both the State and the County recommended BUSD sell the property. BUSD ignored that advice and went to the community to fund a massive development. BUSD lost that ballot measure (Measure D) last November, the fifth time the community has rejected funding a high school on that site. Mr. Wood said the Gird Road site, “is not suitable for a high school. … So, I am here to speak … on behalf of Fallbrook because the constituents who are calling me repeatedly, all up and down the Gird Valley. … [I]t is not an appropriate location and I think it would be ill advised for this school district to continue to pursue that property for a high school.”
Board Member Dick Olson officially delivers the must-read Interim Property Summary and Evaluation for BUSD High School a report created over by a group of community volunteers reviewing properties in the district and meeting five times with Assistant Superintendent William Pickering and Principal Lee Fleming over six months. Retiring (as of July 31) Superintendent Justin Cunningham insists it be recognized that he didn’t order this particular report and felt it was a “waste of time”. Sparks fly between Cunningham and Olson. The audience rolls its eyes. The BUSD board acknowledges receipt of the report. Additionally, volunteers created a video of the main properties under discussion, the Gird Road and Ocean Breeze Ranch parcels. Ocean Breeze due to its central location comes in first. Gird Road, just 1.1 miles south of the northern edge of the district is seen as a poor location and lacking community support since it has lost at the ballot box five times since 1978.
2018
April 12, 2018: BUSD’s Board deviated from its stated objective on Agenda Item 9.2, “Board Discussion and Approval of Building New Bonsall High School Campus at Gird Road Site”. Instead it voted to “affirm” the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee’s Site Report (not included in the Agenda) stating Gird is the best site for a high school and to educate the public on why. Here’s our analysis of that report, created from a six-week process [direct link: https://bit.ly/2sObxYs] and additional comments (pages 15 and 16) on the inadequacy of such submitted during the Draft Environmental Impact (DEIR) process. The report listed Gird Valley as first choice for building a high school (key factor: BUSD already owns the property). Ocean Breeze came in second.
We encourage everyone who loves Gird Valley, Fallbrook and North San Diego County to please become involved! Thank you!
Stay tuned!
For more info, contact us at SaveGirdValley@gmail.com Thank you!
SaveGirdValley.com 