The planning area for the San Dieguito River Park is located in central San Diego County, at the northern edge of the City of San Diego. The western end begins at the ocean at Del Mar. The planning area follows the course of the San Dieguito River to its source at Ironside Spring on Volcan Mountain, just north of Julian.
The planning area either crosses through or is adjacent to six local jurisdictions. It includes the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Hodges Reservoir, San Pasqual Agricultural Preserve, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and Sutherland Reservoir.
Neither. The agency that operates and manages the San Dieguito River Park is a Joint Powers Authority. The term “Joint Powers Authority” (JPA) means that some public agencies have agreed to jointly share certain powers, such as the power to manage and acquire land. Sometimes governments enter into joint powers agreements where they agree to share their powers, without creating a separate agency.
In the case of the San Dieguito River Park, six different governments (the County of San Diego and the Cities of Del Mar, Escondido, Poway, San Diego, and Solana Beach) joined together to create an entirely separate, independent agency – the San Dieguito River Valley Regional Open Space Park Joint Powers Authority – in order to plan, acquire, improve, operate and maintain the river valley.
The Focused Planning Area (FPA) is the area of jurisdiction for the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority. In other words, it’s the area of focus for the San Dieguito River Park’s acquisition and planning efforts. The FPA roughly corresponds to the viewshed of the San Dieguito River Valley and its tributary streams – that is, what you could see if you were standing on the valley floor.
The FPA has been adopted by the six member agencies of the JPA as a regional park planning boundary. It is important to understand that San Dieguito River Park development projects and user activities are limited to public lands and also to private lands whose owners have given written consent. Mere inclusion in the FPA does not indicate that private property is part of the Park and does not in any way affect the private property rights of the owner.
The River Park’s operational budget is funded by a combination of the following sources:
- Annual membership contributions from its member agencies
- Off-track betting revenues from the Del Mar Race Track
- Revenue from grant administration
- Interest income from endowment established for land management
The River Park’s land acquisition, trail construction and maintenance, habitat restoration, and intepretive programs are funded by grants and donations.
No. However, gifts and bequests to the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority are deductible for income, gift, and estate tax purposes. SDRP accepts and administers donations, gifts, endowments, and bequests for conservation purposes.
The JPA was established as a separate public entity similar to a city or county. Under the federal tax law, contributions to the JPA are as tax deductible as contributions to a private, charitable 501(c)(3) organization. You may wish, however, to make contributions instead to the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, a private 501(c)(3) organization which was established by supporters of the San Dieguito River Park.
The Park does not impact private property. Some property owners have been concerned that the Park Board would condemn their land for park use, or that the Park Board would control how and what they build on their property. To address these concerns, the Park Board adopted a Private Property Rights.
The Park Board has pledged not to infringe on private property rights to achieve its goals and objectives, and will not condemn private property. It does not have “land use authority” and cannot regulate or impose restrictions on private property owners. Additionally, the Park Board will not put trails on privately owned land without the property owner’s consent.
