LAFCO approves city of Vista annexation of 7.42 acres

VISTA — San Diego County’s Local Agency Formation Commission approved the annexation of a 7.42-acre parcel off of Phillips Street into the city of Vista.

The 8-0 LAFCO vote Sept. 11 also detached that area from the Vista Fire Protection District and the Buena Sanitation District. The property is already within the boundaries of the Vista Irrigation District, so water service was not included in the territorial reorganization.

The city of Vista conditionally approved the subdivision within that area into 23 lots, which meets zoning and general plan standards for both the county of San Diego and the city of Vista.  The city of Vista and the county of San Diego adopted a master property tax agreement which transfers a portion of property tax revenue from the county and the Vista Fire Protection District to the city to cover the change of service providers.

A reorganization also requires a sphere of influence study which determines the boundaries best served by a particular agency, although the annexed area was already within the city of Vista’s sphere of influence. 

The Vista Fire Protection District contracts with the city of Vista for fire prevention and emergency medical services and the city of Vista administers a single sanitation system both for city of Vista wastewater collection and Buena Sanitation District wastewater. The city will provide sewer service to the project from an existing sewer main within Phillips Street, which is approximately 175 feet from the annexed area, and the closest city of Vista fire station is Station #2 on Valley Drive approximately two miles away.

“We’ve had no opposition from the community or public agencies,” said LAFCO local governmental analyst Robert Barry.

The initial annexation proposal only included the property to be subdivided. However, adjacent property, which had been in the unincorporated portion of the county, includes right-of-way for Santa Fe Avenue and North County Transit District right-of-way for the Sprinter light rail line.  The LAFCO action also annexed the Santa Fe Avenue and NCTD right-of-way areas into the city of Vista and detached those areas from the Vista Fire Protection District and the Buena Sanitation District.