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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Cost-sharing Agreement Reached on Fanita Parkway Repaving Project

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A pothole-scarred private street in northwest Santee that has annoyed residents will soon be a smoother ride, thanks to a cost-sharing agreement reached between the city of Santee, a local water district and a private developer.

The agreement calls for the city of Santee, Padre Dam Municipal Water District and HomeFed Corporation to contribute equally to finance a $454,000 road resurfacing project along a stretch of Fanita Parkway.

“We’re fortunate to gain the cooperation of all three parties to make this much-needed project happen,” said Santee City Manager Keith Till. “It’s a great example of inter-agency cooperation and of government working with business for the benefit of the public.”

Construction is expected to begin in August and will include new street striping to accommodate a bicycle lane. The bulk of the project involves patching and applying an asphalt overlay on 1.3 miles of Fanita Parkway from Mast Boulevard to Ganley Road. The work will result in a smoother surface and should extend the road’s lifespan until the long-term plan to demolish it and reconstruct a new road can be achieved.

The road surface been steadily deteriorating, with the pothole problem becoming especially acute in the past two years, Till said.

The previous owner of the road, BarrettAmerican, planned to rebuild the street and dedicate it to the city as part of its development of the proposed 1,400-unit Fanita Ranch project, which the City Council approved in 2007.  But maintenance of the road was curtailed and the development plan went into limbo as BarrettAmerican slipped into bankruptcy in 2009.  HomeFed Corp. acquired the 2,600-acre property at a foreclosure auction in January and is now pursing the development of Fanita Ranch.

"I hope this agreement is just the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship for HomeFed Corp. and our two partners, the city of Santee and Padre Dam Municipal Water District," said PaulBorden, HomeFed president and CEO. "HomeFed has always been willing to pay its fair share of the costs for its development projects.''

Fanita Parkway also borders the 190-acre SanteeLakes facility, which is owned and operated by the Padre Dam Municipal Water District. On Tuesday, May 24, the district’s board approved the cost-sharing agreement.

Fanita Parkway has been a road without an owner for decades," said Allen Carlisle, General Manager of Padre Dam Municipal Water District. "Padre Dam funded improvements to the road in 2005 and we're contributing now because it's important for Santee Lakes and it's important to be a good neighbor.”

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