Board adopts Valley Center Road Corridor concept plan and ordinance; one roundabout included

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Feb. 26 to introduce an ordinance and advance the Valley Center Road Corridor concept plan, a long‑range package of street, pedestrian and bicycle improvements for the Valley Center villages that includes one roundabout at Miller Road.

The plan, presented by county planning staff, covers roughly 2.2 miles of Valley Center Road between Woods Valley Road and Coal Grade Road and bundles features designed to address speeding, difficult left turns and evacuation concerns. Staff said the plan would be incorporated into the County regulatory code by ordinance and that design and construction would occur incrementally as funding becomes available.

Staff told the board the project followed a multi‑year public outreach program with 78 events and stakeholder meetings and that the Valley Center Community Planning Group recommended a compromise option that retained a single roundabout. The staff presentation summarized the plan’s key elements: a raised median with limited openings, curb extensions at signalized intersections, a protected (Class 4) bikeway, completion of sidewalks along one side of the corridor, a controlled pedestrian crossing in the South Village and one roundabout at Miller Road.

Dori Rattray, chair of the Valley Center Community Planning Group, told supervisors she represented the group’s recommendation but added she personally felt the plan “is not safe for Valley Center” because of fire and evacuation concerns. Rattray said the group’s final vote was 9‑6 in favor of the compromise that keeps one roundabout at Miller Road and removes a proposed roundabout at Woods Valley.

Joan Napier, chief of the Valley Center Fire Protection District, said public safety agencies — including the county fire districts, the sheriff’s department and the California Highway Patrol — participated in plan development and in a supplemental emergency response and evacuation analysis. “This process has been the most collaborative process that I’ve been involved in in my entire 39‑year career with the fire service,” Napier said, and she recommended the board adopt the plan as presented, including the single roundabout and other calming measures.

A broad cross section of Valley Center residents testified for and against roundabouts during the public comment period. Supporters said roundabouts and medians reduce severe collisions, improve traffic flow without relying on traffic signals and can function during power outages. Opponents questioned the benefits for heavy vehicles and semi‑truck traffic, warned a central roundabout could impede evacuation in a large fire and urged installing a signal at Miller Road instead.

Supervisor Desmond moved to approve staff’s recommendation to introduce the ordinance and find the project complies with the California Environmental Quality Act; Supervisor Montgomery Stepp seconded. The board conducted a roll‑call vote; Supervisors Anderson, Montgomery Stepp, Desmond and Vice Chair Lawson Reimer all voted yes and the motion passed unanimously.

Implementation will rely on a combination of county projects, grant funding and private development conditions; staff said adoption will support future grant applications. The board’s action was for introduction of the ordinance and a CEQA finding; staff told the board the ordinance and final plan are scheduled for formal adoption at a second reading on March 12, 2025, unless modified before then.

The plan and ordinance text will govern project requirements within the corridor and supersede standard County public road standards in the plan area once adopted.