Overview

• The board is considering the 453-home, 111-acre Harmony Grove Village South proposal with parks, trails and limited commercial space near Escondido.
• County staff recommend approval and say the Fire Protection Plan has sign-offs from the County Fire Authority, Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District, the Sheriff and a third-party reviewer.
• Opponents — including residents, wildfire scientists and more than 20 environmental groups — warn the area’s single primary egress poses extreme evacuation risk during fast-moving wildfires.
• The proposal follows years of litigation that led supervisors to rescind 2018 approvals, with an appeals court later upholding the project’s fire-safety analysis while faulting other CEQA findings.
• Developers propose mitigations such as widening Country Club Drive, adding a three-lane bridge over Escondido Creek, expanding fuel modification and boosting hydrant pressure, while residents have submitted roughly 1,200 petitions urging denial.