Tell San Diego Land Use Restrictions at Polo Fields Must Stay

The San Diego City Council is preparing to vote on a proposal that would remove protections from public land in the San Dieguito River Valley. The protections are part of a decades-old agreement between the City of San Diego and the original developer of Fairbanks Ranch. The deal involved 600 acres. A vote to undo it is expected in September.  Please join us in demanding that the restrictions remain in place.

Known commonly as the Polo Fields property, the acreage along El Camino Real at Via de la Valle is leased by the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club and Surf Cup Sports LLC. The San Dieguito River and a planned segment of the Coast to Crest Trail bisect the property.

Legal Troubles

In a lawsuit filed in 2023, a nearby homeowners’ association accuses San Diego of violating terms the 1983 grant deed that awarded the property to the city and the public. In particular, the lawsuit alleges that San Diego is allowing its lessee, Surf Cup Sports LLC, “unfettered use of affected land” that far exceeds a limit of 25 days’ worth of events per year. Activities draw more than 400,000 people and 10,000 vehicles annually to the sensitive habitat, the lawsuit states.

Other protections in the grant deed call for leaving the space “in its natural condition as near as possible” for passive uses such as “picnicking, walking, hiking and similar activities.”

We’re not a party to the lawsuit but feel Fairbanks Polo Club Homeowners Association has a strong case. We would argue that undoing the deed restrictions opens the door to impacts from intensified land use. That possibility should trigger the scrutiny of the California Environmental Quality Act.

To make the lawsuit go away, a majority of city councilmembers would need to vote to nullify the deed restrictions. A San Diego Union-Tribune investigation reveals that behind closed doors, a majority has agreed to do just that.  

Why We Care

Isn’t a promise a promise? We think so. Why should the public and the environment be held to account for San Diego’s legal troubles and the actions of its tenant? San Diego must honor the promise it made to the public to preserve this land as open space.

Unpaved space at the Polo Fields absorbs stormwater and protects the ecology of fragile wetlands downstream, where groups such as Southern California Edison, SANDAG, Caltrans and the City of San Diego have invested nearly $200 million to restore the San Dieguito Lagoon.

The Coast to Crest Trail remains incomplete along this property despite an obligation that the leaseholder provide it. Canceling the deed restrictions would further weaken enforcement to complete this trail segment. Intensified development could encroach on the trail corridor and degrade the user experience.

Terminating the deed restrictions would set a dangerous precedent. It would signal that no open space agreement is safe, that long-standing commitments to communities, the environment and future generations can be undone when politically or financially convenient.

Related Documents

SDRVC letter to the San Diego City Council (July 22, 2025) 

U-T: San Diego says it’s found a way to end a long-running lawsuit over its Surf Cup lease. Local homeowners aren’t so sure (July 19, 2025)

U-T: More real estate litigation for city: San Diego sued over its handling of lease with Surf Cup Sports (April 22, 2023) 

Take Action!

Please write to the Mayor and nine City Council members and tell them how you feel. See below for addresses and sample language to copy-paste into an email.

TO:

MayorToddGloria@sandiego.gov JoeLaCava@sandiego.gov JenniferCampbell@sandiego.gov StephenWhitburn@sandiego.gov HenryFoster@sandiego.gov MarniVonWilpert@sandiego.gov KentLee@sandiego.gov RaulCampillo@sandiego.gov VivianMoreno@sandiego.gov SeanEloRivera@sandiego.gov

FROM:

Your name

SUBJECT:

Oppose Termination of Polo Fields Deed Restrictions – CEQA Applies

BODY TEXT:

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,

I strongly oppose the proposed termination of the 1983 Grant Deed restrictions on the Polo Fields. These restrictions were a public promise to preserve open space in the San Dieguito River Valley in exchange for development elsewhere. Ending them would violate that promise and jeopardize critical habitat, watershed health and decades of planning and investment.

The Polo Fields occupy a sensitive floodplain vital to downstream wetlands and wildlife corridors. Lifting these restrictions would undermine more than $200 million in public restoration work at the San Dieguito Lagoon.

The city attorney’s proposal to terminate the land use restrictions clearly qualifies as a “project” under CEQA as it enables foreseeable environmental impacts from commercial or intensified land use. Full environmental review is required. Attempting to avoid CEQA by framing this as a private legal agreement is misleading and wrong. CEQA requires honest, transparent analysis. Attempting to bypass review by labeling this a mere legal settlement is disingenuous and sets a dangerous precedent. The impacts are real, foreseeable and irreversible.

This is not just a legal technicality—it’s a test of integrity. Do not sacrifice San Diego’s environmental future for short-term convenience.

We thank Council President Joe LaCava and Councilmember Marni von Wilpert for their leadership on the San Dieguito River Park JPA Board and their support of the San Dieguito River Park and the Coast to Crest Trail. We call on them to urge their colleagues to reject this action and preserve the land use protections.

We also ask the city attorney to publicly explain why this proposal is not a CEQA project, despite its clear environmental consequences.