26 May Plans move ahead for North County San Diego real estate development

A shuttered golf course in Escondido that was the subject of legal controversy could soon become 270 single-family homes.

Plans call for the now defunct Escondido Country Club to become a home development, according to plans recently submitted to city planners. The plans come after golf course owner Michael Schlesinger put an initiative on the ballot to overturn the council vote, but voters rejected it.

Schlesinger sued the city and a Superior Court judge later ruled the council’s action was illegal. Schlesinger closed the golf club three years ago. He had hoped to build 600 homes on the property along with a golf-club type element, but scaled back building plans. Now plans are moving ahead on the expansive San Diego area real estate project.

The development could include a pool, spa, multi-purpose room, dining facilities, indoor racquet center and gym, as well as 31 acres of open space.

The home lots will be a minimum of 7,000 square feet. A builder has not been selected for the project, but the designer is Ali Shapoui, a Rancho Santa Fe-based land planner and architect who has designed communities in Southern California. The project is one of the largest new developments in North County and is expected to boost North County real estate development in the region.

The project is not a done deal, however. City and local officials must still review the North San Diego real estate plans and the city may elect to appeal the judge’s ruling.