SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. -- The controversial Cottonwood Sand Mine Project failed to pass through the San Diego County Planning Commission on Wednesday afternoon with a tied 3-3 vote. Although the developer behind the project said he will appeal the decision, it still has a final lifeline and could be approved by the Board of Supervisors in the fall.
The meeting was packed. Public comment went on for hours.
"When their attorney is up here saying it comes at no cost, it comes at the cost of my life! My mom's life! Every face in here, it costs our community. That's a cost you can't put a price on," said Lori Loiselle.
The fight began in 2018. If the project gets the green light from County Supervisors, it would take over the site of the Cottonwood Club Golf Course, and span across more than 200 acres in the unincorporated Valle de Oro area, near Jamul.
County staff gave a presentation at Wednesday's meeting, explaining why it recommends the planning commission deny the project, citing the harmful effect it would bring to the neighborhood's character. It would increase noise, change the way the site looks for residents and visitors, and add dust. It also found the site isn't suitable because its located in a suburban setting near schools and 150 homes.
Then the developer of the project, Cottonwood Cajon ES, laid out its case about why this project needs to move forward, saying it would provide supplies for housing and infrastructure locally, rather than forcing companies to truck in sand from outside the region or Mexico. It has also said it would return the land to the community after ten years, once mining has been complete.
"Many other areas of the community have been mined and later reclaimed and used, enjoyed by the community. Much of Mission Valley was mined along the San Diego River. The Costco and Ikea properties were used for mining and processing," said Travis Jokerst, who spoke out in favor of the project.
Once public comment ended, commissioners weighed in.
"To say you're putting this in a middle of a community, to me, I look at it from a different vantage point. This is a commercial use, this golf course," said Chair Ronald Ashman.
He pointed toward the need for affordable housing.
"You can't dismiss. This is not natural this is a man-made golf course. You're starting with something made, manufactured and you're talking about modifying it," he said.
"We're talking about going from a recreational use to an industrial use," said Commissioner Weber.
There were murmurings in the audience as the commissioners debated each other.
The planning commission currently has six members. A majority vote is needed for the project to pass. However, even with Wednesday's vote, an appeal is expected, which would push the issue to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors for a vote this fall.