Every decade or so, the County of San Diego updates local Community Plans that are part of its General Plan. The Borrego Springs Community Sponsor Group (BSCSG) held public forums in January, February, March, and April of 2007 – over 100 local residents participated in the proceedings to provide their input in the development of the Borrego Springs Community Plan that was included in the 2011 County General Plan. The Community Plan provides a local perspective of the community’s historic development and character, and preferences about planned land use, conservation and open spaces, transportation, and public safety. The current Borrego Springs Community Plan is available for download at the County of San Diego web site at https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/pds/docs/CP/Borrego_Springs_CP.pdf.

The Borrego Springs Community Sponsor Group (BSCSG) is established by the County to be an information link between the community and the County of San Diego on matters dealing with planning and land use. The Sponsor Group provides a public forum for the discussion of land use planning issues which are important to the community, including an anticipated update to the Borrego Springs Community Plan in the next two to three years.

What will the Borrego Valley and the community of Borrego Springs look like in 2035? In 2050? What has changed over the last decade that the updated Community Plan should reflect? A review of past issues of the Borrego Sun reveals a list of relevant topics. How should the Community Plan be updated to reflect the work being done by the Borrego Water District and the Watermaster https://borregospringswatermaster.com/ to get Borrego Valley to sustainable water use over the next decade. How should we balance economic development, our tourism economy and sustainability? Most of the private land in Borrego Springs sits in the flood plains of alluvial fans of the San Ysidro and Santa Rosa mountains to the west and north. What land use and development is envisioned for our future? Should we demand more public transit options from the County? How do we ensure safe travels on roads in and out of our community? What lessons can be drawn from the expansion of Solar fields and the SDG&E Borrego Valley microgrid? How should the Community Plan update capture the need for broadband as a critical “utility” for the twenty-first century? These and other topics may be up for consideration in an updated community plan.

Jim Wermers and Kathy Dice from the Borrego Valley Stewardship Council leadership team attended the Sponsor Group meeting on Oct. 7, and offered the assistance of the Stewardship Council in the visioning process for the Borrego Springs Community Plan update. The Stewardship Council is at the early stages of launching a multi-year process of facilitated communication and coordination with a broad spectrum of local businesses, non-profits, homeowners associations, organizations and interest groups in order to develop a shared community vision of the future of Borrego Valley.

BSCSG Chair Rebecca Falk and other Sponsor Group members welcomed the offer of assistance from the Stewardship Council. Resident Bob Krasowski reminded the Sponsor Group that they are the official group established by the county and subject to Brown Act provisions of public meetings and transparency while the Stewardship Council is not. The Sponsor Group is the public forum where every resident’s voice can be heard. He wanted the Sponsor Group to be careful not to cede the Community Plan update to a private group.

Wermers and Dice provided assurance that the Stewardship Council was committed to promote inclusiveness, outreach and diverse membership. They pointed to broad community representation on the Stewardship Council, noting that 48 local organizations have signed the Stewardship Council Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). They promised broader outreach to local communities that are currently not represented on the Stewardship Council.

The Borrego Sun will continue to report on progress as our community participates in this important work of developing a vision of the future of Borrego Valley and the completion of the next Community Plan update.

The next meeting of the Sponsor Group will be held on November 4, 4:30 p.m. via Zoom.

For further information and to be added to the Sponsor Group email list to receive agendas and agenda packets, contact the Chair at rebfalk7@gmail.com.