The San Luis Rey Downs Golf Course in Bonsall closed for good in August, and the owner hopes to turn the golf greens back into native habitat. The land would then become a mitigation land bank for developers to purchase, to make up for building homes elsewhere.
But first, in order to get approval to create a mitigation site, land banker and president of Conservation Land Group, Kevin Knowles, who is representing the property owner, must present a proposal to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Therese O’Rourke Bradford, branch chief of the south coast branch of the regulatory division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said she is encouraging the land banker to work with the community, and build neighborhood needs and wants into the proposal.
“So what we’ve heard from the community and from the officials is there needs to be attention to fire breaks, attention to recreation needs, and how can the banker, the mitigation banker, accommodate those needs into their proposal?” Bradford said. “So we’re looking forward to seeing what they come up with.”
Once the proposal is received (and there is no time limit on how long that can take) there is a lengthy review process that involves the Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Fish and Game.
In the meantime, the San Luis Rey Downs Golf Course remains closed and in limbo.
