The San Diego County Board of Supervisors yesterday hit pause on a long-running Alpine park fight, voting unanimously to issue a new environmental impact report for the proposed Alpine Community Park. The move restarts the county's environmental review after a court tossed out its earlier certification. The decision covers a 98-acre parcel next to Wright's Field and keeps the current plan intact, with roughly 25 acres reserved for active recreation and about 73 acres set aside as an open-space preserve.
Board Acts To Comply With Court Order
According to the County Board agenda, supervisors adopted a resolution formally setting aside their December 2023 certification after a Superior Court peremptory writ issued in January ordered the county to rescind project approvals and pause ministerial actions. The staff report notes the court found the EIR's analysis of impacts to the western spadefoot toad, pallid bat, wildfire risk and vehicle-traffic public safety was not sufficient. County parks staff told the board they plan to revise the EIR and return with a new version in Fiscal Year 2026-27.
Community Reaction Splits The Town
Residents filled the hearing room, and public comment quickly turned into a lesson in how divided Alpine is over this project. “The scope of this location is just far overreaching,” said Courtney Norton of Preserve Alpine's Heritage, while other speakers argued Alpine has waited decades for nearby recreation, as reported by KPBS. Travis Lyon, chairman of the Alpine Community Planning Group, told supervisors that staff and residents had “exhausted the search for alternative sites” and urged the board not to drag out the process yet again.
Environmental Groups Hail The Court Findings
The lawsuit was filed by the Cleveland National Forest Foundation and the California Native Plant Society, which argued the county's review downplayed risks to sensitive plants and animals and to wildfire safety. In a press release, the California Native Plant Society said “the court's ruling gives everyone a chance to make sure we're doing what’s required by law to protect this important habitat.”
Legal Context
The peremptory writ is a California Environmental Quality Act remedy that calls for targeted fixes to an environmental review rather than an outright ban on the project, and the county's staff paper lists the narrow issues where the court found problems and directs officials to suspend actions that could change the physical environment until those points are addressed. As outlined in the County Board agenda, the writ ordered the county to set aside the earlier certification and rescind related approvals while the EIR is revised.
What Happens Next
County staff say they will now rework the EIR to respond to the court's findings, then bring the updated document back to the board. “There is no change to the project design,” county officials told supervisors, and the court's direction was described as an administrative step, as reported by KPBS. The revision will likely push construction timelines back and could reshape mitigation measures for wildlife and wildfire risk, but supporters argue the delay at least offers a chance to put stronger protections in writing.
