Board approves amendment allowing bonding for Blackstone Ranch South map after Army Corps delay

The Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the Blackstone Ranch South tentative subdivision map (19-054) that lets the applicant bond required site improvements rather than complete them before final mapping and clarifies that construction traffic should use East 5th Street. Heather Manzo, planning staff, told the board the changes do not alter the approved development's layout but instead address bonding language and clarify construction-traffic routing. She also reported an updated signalization cost estimate of about $1,450,000. "We did ask Public Works about that and, they provided me an updated number that's around $1,450,000 for the signalization," Manzo said.

Staff and the applicant said the primary reason for the amendment request is timing: the Army Corps of Engineers recently took jurisdiction over a parcel the road crosses, creating delays that could cause the tentative map to expire before the required roadway is complete. Casey Jones, representing the applicant, confirmed the Army Corps permitting process could take roughly a year and estimated at-best physical roadway work starting in the 12–14 month window. "At best case scenario, 12 to 14 months from now," Jones said when asked about the timeline for starting construction.

Board members pressed staff on how bonding would ensure road completion and asked that the city retain leverage to require repairs for construction-caused damage. Staff explained final map and site-improvement permit processes require cost estimates, bonds and final inspections, and said the city typically will not accept a road until it verifies construction to city standards. Supervisor comments referenced the project's 2019 debates about access and construction traffic; supervisors concluded the proposed amended language reflects the intent of the earlier approvals while accommodating the present regulatory delay.

A motion to approve the amendment, including changes to condition 19 (the updated signalization amount and unchanged pro rata percentage), passed unanimously.