Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Construction, zoning changes, and development projects shaping Santee's future.
A 147-unit affordable housing project is moving forward next to La Mesa's Spring Street trolley stop. The East County development will include homes for individuals, families and veterans earning 30% to 60% of area median income, according to NBC 7 San Diego and City News Service.
Via NBC 7 San Diego / City News Service
San Diego County supervisors unanimously approved the Starlight Solar project in rural East County, moving forward a 588-acre solar and battery storage development despite strong opposition from Boulevard residents. County officials are also developing a battery storage zoning ordinance amendment that could affect projects such as Starlight Solar.
Via KPBS
Two proposed housing projects near Rancho San Diego drew a packed Valle de Oro planning meeting this week. The plans are still early, but residents are already raising questions about traffic, open space and wildfire evacuation routes.
Via East County Magazine
Campo is back on the market, with a listing that includes apartments, a church, a hardware store and other pieces of the rural East County community. The sale is outside Santee, but it is a notable East County development for residents who follow backcountry growth, investment and land-use changes.
Via ABC 10News
San Diego County has started the next phase of Lindo Lake improvements, temporarily closing parts of the Lakeside park while crews work on the lake bed. The project affects a familiar East County park just east of Santee and is expected to continue into winter 2027.
Via ABC 10News
San Diego County planners are presenting draft battery energy storage rules in Campo as East County residents continue raising concerns about wildfire risk, evacuation routes and emergency response. The draft ordinance would create county zoning standards for large battery projects before hearings expected next year.
Via East County Magazine
County supervisors heard hours of public concern over SDG&E's proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink, including objections to routes through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and other backcountry areas. The final decision rests with state regulators, but East County residents still have upcoming chances to weigh in.
Via East County Magazine
SDG&E has released three alternative routes for the proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink ahead of a county supervisors hearing. The 500-kilovolt project remains a major East County flashpoint because of wildfire, parkland and backcountry community concerns.
Via East County Magazine
San Diego County supervisors will hear a presentation Aug. 18 on SDG&E’s proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink, a major transmission project drawing scrutiny from East County and backcountry residents. The debate matters in Santee because it touches wildfire risk, regional power infrastructure and the costs local ratepayers could eventually share.
Via East County Magazine
La Mesa leaders are reviewing a SANDAG study that lays out major options for the Spring Street Trolley Station area, including raising tracks, lowering nearby streets or putting the trolley below street level. The East County project could take years and reshape a key Orange Line stop used by riders across the region.
Via ABC 10News
El Cajon leaders are asking what can be done about Kaiser Permanente's long-empty hospital site near Bostonia. For Santee residents, the fight is about more than one vacant property: it points to East County's continued need for closer hospital access.
Via East County Magazine
El Cajon leaders asked staff to analyze possible paths involving Parkway Plaza, the 80-acre mall site that has long shaped East County shopping and sales tax revenue. The city says the review does not commit it to buying the property, but it signals how important the mall’s next chapter could be for the region.
Via East County Magazine
La Mesa City Council is considering a five-story mixed-use project with 114 apartments and ground-floor retail in the downtown village, according to East County Magazine. The proposal adds another nearby example of the housing, parking and density debates shaping East County communities.
Via East County Magazine
KB Home says Townsend is now open at Mission Gorge Road and Aubrey Glen Drive, bringing three-story paired homes to Santee from the mid-$700,000s. The project adds another new-home option in a tight East County housing market.
Via KB Home
Several Grossmont Center food court businesses, including El Veganito, have been told to vacate by Aug. 26 as redevelopment work moves forward. The change affects a familiar East County shopping stop for La Mesa, Santee and surrounding communities.
Via East County Magazine
A new SANDAG draft map identifies Santee among the San Diego County cities with transit stops affected by Senate Bill 79. The law could allow higher-density housing near qualifying transit stops once local implementation details are finalized.
Via The Coast News
San Diego County planning commissioners advanced the modified Starlight Solar proposal in Boulevard, sending the project toward the Board of Supervisors after hours of public concern over battery storage, fire risk and dust. For Santee and East County residents, the vote is another sign that large energy projects in the backcountry remain one of the region’s biggest land-use fights.
Via East County Magazine
County sewer rehabilitation work is scheduled to begin Monday, July 13, at Walker Preserve. The trail will remain open for most of the project, but access will be narrowed and brief closures are expected when crews pull pipe liners.
Via City of Santee
Boulevard residents pressed San Diego County planning and fire officials over the proposed Starlight Solar project, including evacuation, groundwater and battery-fire concerns. The Planning Commission hearing has been postponed to July 10.
Via East County Magazine
New reporting from East County Magazine shows the Fanita Ranch debate is shifting from the court rulings themselves to what HomeFed and Santee leaders may do next. The 3,000-home project remains one of Santee's biggest questions on housing, wildfire risk and open space.
Via East County Magazine
Construction is underway on a 45-unit affordable housing project in San Carlos, just west of Santee and Mission Trails. The site is familiar to many East County diners: it once housed Nicolosi’s Italian Restaurant before the family-owned restaurant moved its San Carlos location to Santee.
Via East County Magazine
Supervisor Jim Desmond is opposing the proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink, a 145-mile transmission line that would run through backcountry East County communities and Anza-Borrego. The fight matters for Santee and East County ratepayers because the project could affect bills, wildfire-risk debates and future regional power planning.
Via East County Magazine
A proposed 14.5-mile high-voltage transmission line would run through Crest, Harbison Canyon, Dehesa and nearby East County communities. The project is still early in CPUC review, but residents are already raising concerns about wildfire risk, property impacts and traffic during construction.
Via East County Magazine
A state appellate court rejected the developer appeal for Fanita Ranch, the long-debated 3,008-home project in northern Santee. The ruling keeps the project stalled unless HomeFed seeks review from the California Supreme Court.
Via Times of San Diego
SANDAG is studying the future of the SR-94 corridor, and East County residents are pressing the agency to account for wildfire evacuations, rural travel patterns and cross-border traffic. The plan matters for Santee drivers who use East County routes to reach Spring Valley, Jamul and the backcountry.
Via East County Magazine
Santee's 2026 citywide slurry seal and roadway maintenance project carries an engineer's estimate of $963,000. The city says the work is expected to take 50 working days once a contract is awarded.
Via City of Santee
San Diego County is moving ahead with the next phase of Alpine’s long-awaited community park, but some residents say the proposed site near Wright’s Field could add traffic pressure during wildfire evacuations. The debate matters across East County, where open space, recreation and fire safety often collide.
Via ABC 10News
San Diego County plans to repair or replace sidewalks, curbs and gutters at 143 locations in unincorporated communities, including Lakeside, Alpine, Spring Valley and Pine Valley. The project is aimed at improving walkability, drainage and ADA access, with construction expected to run into mid-2027.
Via East County Magazine
A recurring water main break left parts of Julian without water for nearly two days, forcing businesses along Main Street to work around closures and added costs. The latest outage is renewing calls for a long-term repair to aging infrastructure in the East County mountain town.
Via ABC 10News
SDG&E is planning virtual open houses May 12 and 14 for the proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink, a 500-kilovolt transmission line tied to California’s long-term energy demand. The route would run from Imperial County through East County and North County before heading toward Riverside and Orange counties.
Via East County Magazine
A water recycling facility that helped serve Santee for more than 50 years has been decommissioned at Santee Lakes. Padre Dam says its replacement, the East County Advanced Water Purification Program, is expected to begin producing purified water later this year.
Via East County Magazine
The City of Santee has begun construction on a dedicated right-turn lane on northbound Cuyamaca Street to eastbound Mission Gorge Road to improve traffic flow.
Via City of Santee
The California Transportation Commission approved the sale of a Caltrans-owned parcel in Lemon Grove for a 60-unit transitional housing project, paving the way for construction to begin in the coming months. The $11.1 million project aims to address homelessness, including a growing number of seniors on fixed incomes.
Via NBC 7 San Diego
A two-year sewer pipeline installation project begins March 16 on Mission Gorge Road in Santee as part of the East County Advanced Water Purification Program. Drivers should expect lane closures and delays through May 2028.
Via East County AWP Program
SANDAG has approved more than $3.5 million in funding for La Mesa, covering a new roundabout at University and Memorial Drive and an update to the Downtown Village Specific Plan aimed at improving mobility and supporting local businesses.
Via Times of San Diego
A public workshop will showcase engineering plans for transforming the Campo Road Commercial Corridor with safer streets and better walkability, funded by a $2.5 million grant.
Via East County Magazine
San Diego County officials are hosting a Feb. 26 workshop to review design plans for transforming the Campo Road Commercial Corridor in Casa de Oro. The project, funded by a regional housing grant, aims to create safer streets and a more walkable village atmosphere.
Via East County Magazine
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