Plans for San Diego County’s first carbon-neutral Village unveiled

The new Lilac Hills Ranch includes a new K-8 school, new or expanded fire station, dozens of local road improvements and other amenities for North County

San Diego (February 22, 2018)--Led by a new development team, the new Lilac Hills Ranch includes a new K-8 school, a new or expanded fire station, more than two dozen road improvements, over 16 miles of trails, 11 parks, and solar panels and electric vehicle chargers with every home – all anchored by a vibrant town center. The community will be San Diego County’s first New Village, adding attainable homes, jobs and public amenities in a walkable layout. The new Lilac Hills Ranch includes more than three dozen new features and community benefits, including every recommendation made by county planning officials.

The community has been designed as the first carbon-neutral Village in the county, meaning that features like solar panels on every home, electric vehicle charging stations in every garage, and investments in renewable resources will reduce all greenhouse gas emissions to zero.

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Located near existing services, the new Lilac Hills Ranch is situated along the North County Interstate-15 growth corridor and will help address our region’s growing housing crisis. With homes starting in the $300,000 range, the community will make a significant contribution to attainable housing supply in San Diego County. The new Lilac Hills Ranch is ideally situated for working families with daily commutes to jobs in North County, Escondido and San Diego. Additionally, the community includes independent and assisted living facilities for seniors and more than a dozen different housing types, including townhomes, condos, attached, detached and mixed-use.

“It is obvious the region needs new housing. This project builds new homes in a sustainable way and includes the highest environmental and public safety protections that will benefit my family and friends in North County,” said Elizabeth Buenrostro, a Bonsall resident.

The new Lilac Hills Ranch is designed to meet the highest fire protection standards in the county. The project will provide a new or expanded fire station that will ensure emergency responders can reach every home in the community in less than 5 minutes. The community will pay more than $1.3 million annually to the Deer Springs Fire Protection District. The funds will benefit the local district and strengthen the regional fire protection network, making North County safer. The District has approved the community’s fire protection plan.

The new Lilac Hills Ranch is designed as the first community to meet the San Diego County’s standards for New Villages, which is the highest standard a project can achieve under the County’s General Plan. It will feature a town center with retail that links homes with amenities within a 10-minute walk from each household. The community also includes more than 200 acres of parks and open space – more than twice the size of the San Diego Zoo.

“Lilac Hills Ranch is the first New Village in San Diego County, meaning it brings investment in public safety to North County, investment in new public spaces like parks and retail, and needed housing,” said Larry Hershfield, CEO of Ranch Capital, LLC.

The new development team, directed by Hershfield and Sam Hartman with Jon Rilling serving as the project manager, has committed to making more than two dozen improvements to roads and intersections outside of the project, fixing existing safety hazards and blind curves in North County. These safety improvements are in addition to the community’s transportation features designed to reduce vehicle miles traveled and ease traffic on regional roads and freeways.

While making major commitments to next-generation environmental protections, the new development team leading Lilac Hills Ranch has also made the community a water-neutral project, meaning it will not contribute to local drought conditions and will actually use less water once completed than the site currently uses.

“We have refined and changed this plan to respond to the concerns of the community, and we are very excited to present a new plan for Lilac Hills Ranch that includes more than three dozen new features,” Rilling said. “This is not just a collection of homes, this is a complete Village that is 100% carbon neutral. It’s what placemaking is all about – creating a safe, walkable community that will set a new standard for development.”

​More information on the new Lilac Hills Ranch is available at www.lilachillsranch.com.