Commission hears annual open‑space acquisition update, residents press for unconstrained‑space figures

City staff presented the Environmental Sustainability Commission with the annual open‑space acquisition report, detailing the advisory committee’s ranking criteria and the status of the 16 original candidate properties identified after Proposition C. Nick Subin, parks planning manager, said five of the originally named parcels have been conserved by the city or partner agencies and three were developed with required preserves; most remaining parcels have no known willing seller.

"The ranking criteria themselves do not include the willingness of seller, potential sales price, or whether there's a development plan for the site," Subin said, describing how staff weighs habitat value, trail linkages and other factors when evaluating properties. He told commissioners acquisitions proceed only when a willing seller can be identified and when council authorizes negotiations.

Public commenters urged the commission to report unconstrained open space by zone so the commission and council can assess compliance with the general‑plan performance standard. Diane Nygaard of Preserve Calavera said earlier public requests for a zone‑by‑zone unconstrained map were not included in the packet and asked staff to supply both sample historic zone plans and the unconstrained‑space summary. Howard Krause of North County Advocates said a 2017 settlement prompted annual reporting by category and a $4 million acquisition set‑aside; he and other speakers said current reports that include constrained lands (lagoons, beaches, steep slopes) can mislead the public about whether zones meet the 15% unconstrained open‑space standard.

Commissioners asked staff to clarify whether cost will be added as an explicit ranking metric and how the staff committee will engage the community going forward. Subin and other staff said the original list was prepared with public input, that the staff committee monitors the market and relies on a real‑estate manager to flag opportunities, and that acquisitions ultimately require city‑council approval. The commission did not take any formal action on the report but asked that questions about unconstrained‑space accounting and potential community role be placed on a future agenda.