The Riverway Trails Plan: An
Implementation Guide for Trails along the Upper San Diego River
Prepared for the Community of Lakeside
September 2006
The Riverway Trails
Plan: An Implementation Guide for Trails
along the Upper San Diego River
Prepared by
The County of San Diego
Department of Planning and
Land Use
AND
RBF Consulting, Inc.
9755 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92124-1324
The Riverway Trails
Plan: An Implementation Guide for Trails
along the Upper San Diego River
Contributors and Consultants
Community stakeholders and contributors that
participated in workshops, field visits, and provided input throughout the
planning process for the Riverway Trails Plan are as follows:
Upper San Diego River Improvement Committee
(USDRIC)
Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy
Lakeside Community Planning Group
Lakeside Frontier Riders
Blossom Valley Riders
Eucalyptus Hills Equestrian Community
Organization.
Jeff Barfield, Vice
President RBF Consulting, Inc.
Danielle Putnam,
Project Manager, RBF Consulting, Inc.
County of San Diego
Department of Planning and Land Use
County of San Diego
Department of Parks and Recreation
County of San Diego Department of Public Works
Table of Contents
B.. Background
A.. Project Location
B.. Land Uses
D.. Existing, Planned and
Proposed Trails
E.. Guidance and Policy
Provided by Existing Plans
A.. Stakeholders
B.. Lakeside Community
Planning Group
A.. Trail Route
B.. Trail Users
C.. Design Standards and
Guidelines
D.. Trail Signage
E.. Trail Amenities
F... Staging Areas
C.. Trail Maintenance and
Operation
D.. Funding Sources
Figure 1 Vicinity Map
Figure 2 Specific Plan Area Map
Figure 3 Lakeside Trails and Pathways
Figure 4 Aerial Map
Figure 5 The
USDRIP
Area -
Trail
Reaches and Connectors
Figure 6 Section A-A Typical Multi-Use Trail
Figure 7 Section B-B Multi-Use Trail Within the Planning Buffer
Figure 8 Section C-C Multi-Use Trail Along Roadways
Figure 9 Section D-D Multi-Use Connector Trail
Figure 10 Low Volume Staging Area Concept
Figure 11 High Volume Staging Area Concept
Figure 12 Typical River Interpretive and Vista Point
List of Tables
Table 1 Preliminary Opinions of Probable Costs
Table 2 Basis for Opinions of Probable Costs
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This RiverWay Trails Plan is intended to guide development and implementation of non-motorized multi-use trails located along an approximately two-mile stretch of the Upper San Diego River in the community of Lakeside (see Figure 1, Vicinity Map and Figure 2, Specific Plan Area Map). This trail will be an integral part of the San Diego River Regional Trail, as shown on the County’s Regional Trail Plan. The trail is also intended to provide linkages to other existing or potential trails in the community of Lakeside (see Figure 3, Lakeside Trails and Pathways).
The trails will contribute to an overall enhancement of the quality of life both locally and regionally. The RiverWay Trails Plan is an important step toward achieving the vision and policies set forth in the RiverWay Specific Plan and will help to establish Lakeside as an attractive location where residents, workers, and visitors can enjoy a natural environment and recreational opportunity along the San Diego River.
For over 25 years, efforts have been made to improve flood control, land use and development, and recreational goals for a portion of the upper San Diego River. The Lakeside community has long been involved in this process and has recognized the potential of the River corridor.
In August 2000, the County Board of Supervisors approved the RiverWay Specific Plan Amendment 00-001. The Specific Plan offers an overall plan for economic and aesthetic improvement of the Upper San Diego River Improvement Project (USDRIP) area.
The Specific Plan addresses development of approximately 592 acres located along the Upper San Diego River corridor and calls for a high-quality mixture of commercial, residential, and industrial land uses in combination with improved flood control measures, native habitat restoration, public facility improvements, and recreational amenities, including a public trails system along the River corridor with additional connections to surrounding areas in the community.
The RiverWay Trails Plan was prepared within the context of the RiverWay Specific Plan Amendment 00-001. The RiverWay Specific Plan proposed a general trail alignment along the San Diego River and identified alternate routes. As the Specific Plan Area continues to grow and revitalize, the County reviews development proposals to determine if a trail segment is required to be dedicated and improved for pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian use. Any such requirements are included in the conditions of approval for such development’s approval.
The RiverWay Trails Plan has further defined the location for the trail segments that would cross multiple properties along the north side of the San Diego River. In addition, the potential connections from the river corridor to outside developments were also addressed, with potential access points from existing or desired off-site trails.
The Riverway Trail alignment is an
approximately 2-mile segment of the Board adopted "San Diego River Park
Regional Trail" Alignment. This Regional Trail Alignment is shown on the Lakeside Community Trails
and Pathways Map that is contained in the Community Trails Master Plan
(CTMP). In addition, the trail alignment is also contained in the new “County
Trails Section” of the General Plan Public Facilities Element.
The Riverway Trails Plan will serve as an implementation guide for County Staff and the property owners for the development standards, location and amenities and staging areas associated with the trail segments in the Riverway Specific Plan Area.
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The RiverWay Trails project is located in the Upper San Diego Improvement Project area (USDRIP) in the community of Lakeside in easterly San Diego County, California, approximately 21 miles east of downtown San Diego. The area is generally bounded on the west by the City of Santee; on the south and east by State Highway 67; and on the north by El Nopal, Riverside Drive, and Lakeside Avenue. Refer to Figure 1, Vicinity Map and Figure 2, Specific Plan Area Map.
The actual RiverWay Trails alignment runs along an approximately two mile section of the San Diego River, with connectors to other existing or planned trails in the area (See Figure 3, Lakeside Trails and Pathways).
Highway 67 provides primary access to the area from both the north and south. The Highway connects with Interstate 8 approximately 2.75 miles southwest of the Specific Plan Area. Access to the RiverWay Specific Plan Area from Highway 67 is provided at Lakeside Avenue to the northeast, Mapleview Street to the southeast, Winter Gardens Boulevard to the south, and Riverford Road to the southwest. Channel Road also passes through the project site from Lakeside Avenue in the north and passes under Highway 67 in the south. From the City of Santee to the south, the project area is accessed at Mast Boulevard, Woodside Avenue and El Nopal (See Figure 4, Aerial Map).
The community of Lakeside lies within central San Diego County, in the
western foothills of the Cuyamaca. Since
1886, Lakeside has grown from a rural community to a small town to a suburban
enclave. Today, the RiverWay area
consists of residential, commercial and industrial land uses along the North
and South sides of the San Diego River.
Surrounding Land Uses
Development north of the RiverWay Specific Plan Area includes Willowbrook Mobile Estates and golf course, single-family homes, industrial uses and general commercial uses. To the south of Highway 67, uses include light industrial, commercial, and residential uses. Vacant land, sand mining, storage, and the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds border the Specific Plan Area on its easterly edge. The Lindo Lake Park, the Lakeside Town Center, and residential uses are adjacent to the southeast.
Land Use Adjacent to
RiverWay Trails
The RiverWay Trails alignment and its connections to other trails are adjacent to several types of land use. Trail connections pass alongside housing, a golf course, a proposed ball field complex, and vacant land planned for industrial buildings. Generally, on the south side of the main trail alignment is the San Diego River’s biological buffer and the river itself, while to the north side of the trail, beyond the planning buffer are some industrial buildings, a golf course, and vacant land planned for industrial buildings. The Implementation Summary Sheets found in Chapter V., Section E. of this document include information on surrounding land use for each trail connector or reach.
The land
surrounding the river is both in public and private ownership. It contains
dozens of threatened or endangered wildlife species. As envisioned, it would
consist of a system of community and regional parks linked together by trails,
functioning wildlife habitat, and clean water.
In the Specific Plan area immediately adjacent to the RiverWay Trail alignment are reclamation activities and commercial and industrial facilities. In accordance with the California Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA), the reclamation plans for lands along the RiverWay trails include revegetation, removal of invasive plant species, slope stabilization, creation of ponds, and removal of roadways used for reclamation activities. Some areas adjacent to the RiverWay trails have completed reclamation activities, while other areas will be completed in the future.
The vegetation within the RiverWay Specific Plan area is highly disturbed, except for the revegetated areas, and includes three distinct plan communities: ruderal non-native grasslands (otherwise considered as weed species), coastal sage scrub, and riparian habitats.
The RiverWay Specific Plan includes two types of buffers – a biological buffer and a planning buffer – which are proposed to minimize impacts to sensitive wildlife and habitat within the San Diego River floodplain. The trail alignment is integrated with these buffers, which are described below:
Biological Buffer – As designated by the RiverWay Specific Plan, a Biological Buffer is located primarily on the slopes of the main river channel and generally extends to the top of the riverbank, where it abuts the Planning Buffer (discussed below). The biological buffer consists of appropriate species of native plants and will be re-vegetated per the approved Mining Reclamation Plans. The Biological Buffer is intended to provide additional wildlife habitat that complements the riparian forest and also provide a transition from wetland to upland habitats. The width of the Buffer varies depending on the width of the riparian habitat along the River. The Biological Buffer is depicted in Figure 5, The USDRIP Area.
Planning Buffer – The RiverWay Specific Plan designates a minimum 50-foot wide Planning Buffer to be located along the outside edge of the river channel and Biological Buffer. The Planning Buffer may begin either at the top of slope (river bank) or at the outer edge of the Biological Buffer, whichever is further away from the River.
The Planning Buffer abuts the Biological Buffer on one side and existing or proposed development on the other, in order to screen wildlife and sensitive habitat within the Biological Buffer from recreational activity and the built environment. The RiverWay Trails alignment is generally contained within the Planning Buffer to protect adjacent riparian habitat. Access from the Planning Buffer into the Biological Buffer is restricted through use of dense vegetative plantings and low fencing. The Planning Buffer is depicted in Figure 5, The USDRIP Area.
The RiverWay Trails Plan indicates the general location of the proposed recreational trail. Property owners of parcels comprising the Riverway Trails Plan alignment may be required to dedicate trail easements and construct the trail as a condition of approval for any discretionary permit they apply for. All plans for development proposed on these parcels must illustrate the trail and indicate an “Easement for Pedestrian, Bicycle and Equestrian Use.” A description of construction methods must also be indicated on the Plan.
As part of the County’s General Plan 2020 Update, the Lakeside Community Plan will be updated. Community meetings regarding the GP2020 Update indicated a continued need for a trail along the San Diego River through Lakeside, with connections to additional designated trails.
The Community Trails Master Plan, a major component of the Board adopted County Trails Program, designates a hierarchy of trail types and system of trails that are interconnected so people can easily move from point to point.
There
are some existing informal trails in the vicinity of the planned RiverWay
Trail’s alignment, such as immediately east of the RiverWay Specific Plan area
(on City of Santee land) and equestrian use underneath State Route 67 Bridge
Several documents contain policies and text providing guidance regarding the design and implementation of the RiverWay Trails Plan. These are briefly discussed below, along with some relevant specific text or policies.
The Specific Plan addresses development of approximately 592 acres located along the Upper San Diego River corridor, which includes recreational amenities, including a public trail system. The trail is intended to function as a Regional Trail and to provide linkages to other existing or potential trails.
The Specific Plan contains two goals and objectives pertinent to the RiverWay Trails Plan, which are listed below and have also been found consistent with the San Diego County General Plan:
Flood Control Goal: Enhance the Floodplain as an environmental, recreational and economic asset to Lakeside.
Objective: Provide recreational access along the floodplain through hiking and equestrian trails and such other activities as are compatible with flood control and habitat requirements.
Habitat Conservation Goal: Protect, enhance and maintain designated riparian habitat conservation and buffer areas in accordance with the Biological Mitigation Ordinance.
Objective: Environmentally sensitive areas within the San Diego River floodplain should be transferred to public or private non-profit ownership at the time that the flood control channel is constructed, unless some other means to assure management of conserved habitat is approved by appropriate Federal resource agencies.
The Design Element section of the RiverWay Specific Plan requires sensitive site and landscape design for parking areas that are proposed adjacent to the River Corridor. Benches, tables and trash receptacles are particularly encouraged in conjunction with outdoor seating or employee lunch areas for development occurring adjacent to the River Corridor.
The RiverWay Specific Plan’s Figure 9, Buffers and Trail depicts an 8-foot wide trail tread within the 50-foot planning buffer, while Figure 13 provides a general alignment with potential access points from off-site.
The Trails/Walkways heading of the River Corridor section in the Specific Plan further discusses the proposed “linear riding and hiking trail running the length of the River.” It is acknowledged that the proposed trail alignment encroaches slightly into the Biology buffer.
Pedestrian connections outside the River Corridor are encouraged from adjacent developments and connection to access points is encouraged to be incorporated into development plans. The Access and Parking heading of the River Corridor section in the Specific Plan states that planning areas adjacent to designated riding and hiking trails along the River Corridor should provide at least one public access point to the trail system and provides options to achieve the public access.
The Lakeside Community Plan was last amended on August 9, 2000 and will be revised as part of the County of San Diego’s General Plan Update 2020, which is ongoing. The Plan recognizes the importance of preserving the existing community character of Lakeside, especially the Upper San Diego River Improvement Project Area, and will play a key role in guiding future growth and creating economic and recreational opportunities in Lakeside.
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