MOUNT WOODSON PARKING LOTS DELAYED
Design of $3.5 million project includes at least 206 spaces in four areas
The project to build four parking lots at Mount Woodson is taking longer than expected, with completion now expected in late 2023, county officials said.
Early last year, officials said the $3.5 million project was scheduled to be completed in early 2022.
The delay is due to the size of the project and the time involved in getting permits, said Jessica Geiszler, marketing and public outreach manager for the county Department of Parks and Recreation.
“That said, the ... project, paid for through the county General Fund, continues to move forward and is now scheduled for completion in late 2023,” Geiszler said in an email.
Designer MW Peltz + Associates Inc. aims to maximize the number of parking spaces for hikers and to increase safety, she said.
The four parking areas are currently designed to have at least 206 parking spaces, including 10 that are Americans with Disabilities Act accessible near the trailhead. Each lot will be configured differently and accessible with one-way and two-way traffic lanes.
Although plans do not include drinking fountains or permanent restroom facilities, portable restrooms are being considered.
Construction bids will be advertised on BuyNet by the end of
this year and construction is set for 2023.
Access to the parking areas will be from the existing driveway and road north of the Cal Fire Station driveway at 16310 state Route 67.
The county is working with Caltrans to ensure safe entry to, and navigation through, the new parking lots, Geiszler said. The lots are intended as a safe alternative to parking vehicles along the shoulder of SR-67, officials have said.
Caltrans is reviewing a striping proposal that will add a left turn pocket on SR-67 at the property entrance. With approval the next step will be to request right-of way permits.
“Signs will be posted on state Route 67 facing both directions and at the parking lot entrance, with additional signs to help direct traffic and relay important information,” Geiszler said.
As a regional park, a standard $3 per day use fee will apply to Mount Woodson
visitors, and frequent visitors will be able to purchase a $25 annual parking pass. The fees will go toward operational costs.
More information about the Mount Woodson parking lot project and related environmental issues will be shared at the Ramona Community Planning Group’s July 7 meeting, set for 7 p.m. at the Ramona Community Library.
The county of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation acquired the 84acre Mount Woodson Gateway property in April 2019 for just over $1.7 million. Nine acres were combined with an additional 13-acre parcel owned by the county to build the parking lots.
Seventy-five acres were added to the county’s Multiple Species Conservation Program to protect native chamise chaparral, oak woodland, coastal sage scrub habitats and a variety of wildlife, states a county Parks and Recreation website.
For more information visit sdparks.org/content/ sdparks/en/park-pages/MtWoodsonGatewayCountyPreserve.html.