Harvest Hills (formerly Safari Highlands Ranch)
Harvest Hills, first proposed as Safari Highlands Ranch, is Concordia Homes' plan for 550 homes on about 1,098 acres of unincorporated county land east of Rancho San Pasqual and northeast of Vistamonte. As of September 11, 2026, the City of Escondido considers the application inactive and says a revived project would need a new draft EIR. Separately, Oswit Land Trust says it agreed in February 2024 to buy the land for the San Pasqual Band, but it is still seeking state funding.
Explainer · facts checked October 8, 2026 · Updated · Corrections: email us
The short version
Harvest Hills, first proposed as Safari Highlands Ranch, is Concordia Homes' plan for 550 single-family homes on about 1,098 acres of vacant, unincorporated county land. The site is east of Rancho San Pasqual, northeast of Vistamonte and just north of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. To go forward, the plan would need Escondido to expand its sphere of influence and annex the land, and both steps go before San Diego LAFCO. In September 2026, a City official told The Coast News that the application is considered inactive and that a revived project would need a new draft EIR. Separately, Oswit Land Trust told The Coast News (September 11, 2026) that it agreed in February 2024 to buy the land and transfer it to the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, and that it is still seeking state funding to complete the purchase.
About the sources
Most of the dated record on this page comes from City of Escondido and San Diego LAFCO documents. The current status and the purchase details come from one news report, The Coast News, September 11, 2026. The purchase details are statements from Oswit Land Trust, mainly its director of land acquisition, as reported by The Coast News. As of October 7, 2026, no deed or easement for the purchase had been found, and as of October 8, 2026, no grant award had been found.Where it is
The City of Escondido describes the site as east of Rancho San Pasqual, northeast of the Rancho Vistamonte community (the Ranchos at Vistamonte) and just north of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It covers about 1,098 acres of vacant, unincorporated San Diego County land.
The 2017 draft EIR places Rancho San Pasqual and the Eagle Crest Golf Course, now Dos Osos Golf Club, to the west, inside city limits. Rural homes are scattered to the north and east. The Safari Park and open space lie to the south.
The State Clearinghouse record for the draft EIR lists Rockwood Rd and Zoo Rd as cross streets. It lists SR 78, SR 76 and I-15 as state highways.
Access in the 2017 draft plan
The main entry road, "Safari Highlands Ranch Road," would have intersected Rockwood Road and run between Old Ranch Road and Vistamonte Avenue. The applicant would rebuild hole #14 of the Eagle Crest course to make room for it. The plan also showed two gated emergency access roads: one north to Stonebridge Road and one south to Zoo Road. These details come from the 2017 draft EIR. Later revisions may have changed them.
Planning boundaries
As of 2017, the site was outside Escondido's city limits and its sphere of influence. It was inside the City's General Plan area as Valley View Specific Planning Area #4, the same planning area that includes Rancho Vistamonte. The General Plan allows up to 800 homes in that planning area if a Development Agreement is approved. The 2017 draft EIR counted Vistamonte's 80 existing homes plus the 550 proposed here.
In December 2022, San Diego LAFCO made the site a special study area. LAFCO's "Escondido Study Area No. 1: Harvest Hills" covers 1,359 unincorporated acres on Escondido's southeast edge, including the 1,098-acre project site.
| Names | Safari Highlands Ranch (original name); Harvest Hills (since July 2019) |
|---|---|
| Developer | Concordia Homes. 2026 reporting names it as the current owner. |
| Size | About 1,098 acres (City, draft EIR). LAFCO's study area totals 1,359 acres. |
| Proposed | 550 single-family homes, a "Village Core," open space and trails, a City fire station, a community center and private streets |
| Jurisdiction | Unincorporated San Diego County |
| County designation | Rural Lands (RL-40): one home per 40 gross acres, a theoretical 27 homes. Zoned A72 General Agriculture (2017 draft EIR). |
| Environmental review | Draft EIR, SCH #2015091039, released October 16, 2017. City cases SUB 15-0019 and ENV 15-0009. |
| LAFCO | Special study area since December 5, 2022 |
| City status | Application considered inactive (The Coast News, September 11, 2026) |
| Proposed buyer | Oswit Land Trust, for transfer to the San Pasqual Band, according to Oswit (The Coast News, September 11, 2026). Purchase not complete. |
| From Rancho San Pasqual | East |
| From Vistamonte | Northeast |
How we got here
- April 23, 2014
The Escondido City Council votes 4–1 to start the Safari Highlands Ranch annexation application and to let staff work on the project. Mayor Abed and Councilmembers Gallo, Masson and Morasco vote yes. Councilmember Diaz votes no.
- July 19, 2015
Concordia's development application is submitted to the City, according to the City's project schedule.
- August 26, 2015
After a staff presentation on a citywide sphere-of-influence update, the Council directs staff to keep working with LAFCO.
- September 11, 2015
The City issues a Notice of Preparation for the EIR. Public scoping meetings follow on September 24 and October 5, 2015.
- March 23, 2016
The Council approves the EIR consultant, according to the City's project schedule.
- November 3, 2016
A City notice says the developers have submitted a revised tentative map and studies. The plan stays at 550 homes. Preserved public open space rises to 759.8 acres.
- October 16, 2017
The City releases the Draft EIR for Safari Highlands Ranch and the Citywide Sphere of Influence Update (SCH #2015091039). The 52-day public review is set to end December 7, 2017.
- November 20, 2017
The City extends the comment period to January 2, 2018.
- October 26, 2018
The applicant submits a revised tentative map. The development footprint shrinks by about 50 acres. The plan stays at 550 homes, and the conservation easement grows to 642.09 acres.
- July 30, 2019
Concordia Homes announces design updates and renames the project Harvest Hills. It describes the plan as a net-zero-energy "agri-neighborhood" with 550 homes and 762 acres of open space and preservation. The Times-Advocate reported the change on August 1, 2019.
- September 3, 2019
A City project update notes the new name and says the City is targeting a Final EIR by the end of 2019. No Planning Commission or City Council hearings are scheduled. A revised City schedule projects a Planning Commission hearing in October 2019–January 2020, a Council hearing in March–May 2020, and a sphere and annexation submittal to LAFCO in May–June 2020.
- November 20, 2019
The Council votes 4–1, with Councilmember Diaz voting no, to approve a third amendment to the Michael Baker International contract to complete the Final EIR. The amendment is for up to $63,470, plus a $40,000 contingency.
- October 29, 2020
The Coast News reports that the City still has no date set for a Council vote on Harvest Hills.
- August 1, 2022
LAFCO's agenda includes a draft Part Two municipal service review on Escondido. The report was prepared by the City through Concordia Homes, the project's proponent, with input from LAFCO staff. LAFCO staff wrote an addendum.
- December 5, 2022
LAFCO votes 6–0 to update Escondido's sphere of influence. The update creates two special study areas, one of them the Harvest Hills site. Any later addition to the city's sphere within 60 months is conditioned on further review of fire risk and evacuation.
- February 2024
Oswit Land Trust, a Palm Springs nonprofit, signs a binding purchase-and-sale agreement with Concordia Homes for the property, according to Oswit's director of land acquisition as reported by The Coast News on September 11, 2026.
- September 11, 2026
The Coast News reports that the City considers Concordia's application inactive and has not heard from Concordia in about three years. Oswit tells the paper it is still seeking state funding to complete the purchase and that Concordia has granted several extensions.
Where it stands now
The City application
The City of Escondido considers Concordia's development application inactive. Veronica Morones, the City's Assistant Director of Development Services, told The Coast News the City has not heard from Concordia in about three years. She said a new draft EIR would be required if Concordia resumes the project.
The land
The site remains unincorporated county land. 2026 reporting names Concordia Homes as the current owner. The 2017 draft EIR lists its county designation as Rural Lands (RL-40), which allows a theoretical 27 homes, with A72 General Agriculture zoning.
The purchase
Oswit Land Trust told The Coast News (September 11, 2026) that it holds a February 2024 purchase agreement, which Concordia has extended several times. The purchase is not complete. Oswit says it is seeking state funding from the California Natural Resources Agency, the Wildlife Conservation Board and the State Coastal Conservancy. Oswit declined to disclose Concordia's asking price.
The plan for the land
Oswit told The Coast News it plans to transfer all of the land to the San Pasqual Band after buying it. Oswit would keep a conservation easement to help prevent future development. San Pasqual Band Chairman Stephen Cope says the site could be among the tribe's first land returns.
LAFCO
Since December 5, 2022, the site has been a LAFCO special study area. That lets it go forward with an actual sphere amendment within five years without a new municipal service review. Any formal addition to Escondido's sphere is conditioned on further review of fire risk and evacuation.
The City website
As of October 8, 2026, the City's website still lists the project under "Active Development Projects." The project page still carries status text from the 2017 draft EIR period: "The draft EIR has been released for public review and comment." The newest document on the City's project schedule page is from September 2019.
Not found in public sources as of October 8, 2026
- The purchase price, and when the current extension of the purchase agreement expires.
- Whether any state agency has awarded, scheduled or recommended a grant for the purchase.
- Whether a Final EIR was ever completed. No record of one was found after the November 2019 contract amendment.
- Whether anyone has filed a sphere amendment or annexation proposal with LAFCO since December 2022.
- What the conservation easement would allow, such as cultural uses, public access or fire management.
- Whether the City will formally close the application or update its website.
The September 11, 2026 Coast News article also covered AB 2770, a separate bill about San Pasqual Battlefield park land, which the Governor vetoed on September 27, 2026. See San Pasqual Battlefield.
What happens next
Oswit's funding
Oswit told The Coast News (September 11, 2026) that securing funding is the final step in the purchase. It hopes to secure tribal land-return grants by the end of the year to strengthen its application for a third grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board. No item for this property appeared on WCB board agendas from February 2023 to August 2026.
When: By the end of 2026 (Oswit's stated goal).
State land-return grants
The California Natural Resources Agency, one of the agencies Oswit named, runs the Tribal Nature-Based Solutions program. It offers Ancestral Land Return grants starting at $1 million. About $9.2 million is available in its 2026 Climate Bond cycle. CNRA's page says the 2026 solicitation is now closed; Step 1 applications were due April 15, 2026. Its list of proposed escrow-ready land acquisitions in that solicitation, posted for tribal consultation before final awards, names three projects, by the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians, the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel and the Quartz Valley Indian Reservation; this property is not among them (CNRA project summaries, PDF). No source confirms an application for this property.
When: 2026 solicitation closed; no application for this property confirmed.
LAFCO's five-year window
The December 5, 2022 designation lets the site go forward with an actual sphere amendment within five years without a new municipal service review. Any formal addition to Escondido's sphere in that window must first get further review of fire risk and evacuation.
When: Through about December 2027.
The City application
If Concordia restarts the application, the City says a new draft EIR would be required. A draft EIR goes out for public review and comment.
When: Only if the application is revived. No date.
How to follow it or comment
City of Escondido project page
The Harvest Hill Specific Plan page links to project documents. It lists a City Planning contact for status questions and input.
City Council and Planning Commission
Agendas and minutes for City Council and Planning Commission meetings are on the City's Agendas and Minutes portal. The City Council page links to it as "View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes."
San Diego LAFCO
The Commission meets the first Monday of each month. The public may attend in person or remotely by videoconference or phone. See LAFCO meetings.
Wildlife Conservation Board
WCB is one of the agencies Oswit named. Its next scheduled board meeting is Thursday, November 19, 2026. That agenda was not yet posted as of October 8, 2026. WCB agendas say the public may comment on agenda items in person or by Zoom. See WCB meetings and agendas.
California Natural Resources Agency
The Tribal Nature-Based Solutions program page covers Ancestral Land Return grants. CNRA is one of the agencies Oswit named. Questions go to tribalaffairs@resources.ca.gov.
Oswit Land Trust
Oswit, the proposed buyer, offers a newsletter sign-up. Its website had no page specific to this project as of October 8, 2026.
For valley updates, see News and the resident guides for Rancho San Pasqual and Vistamonte. For evacuation information, see Safety.
Questions residents ask
Is Harvest Hills going to be built?
The development application is not moving forward now: as of September 11, 2026, the City of Escondido considers it inactive and says it has not heard from Concordia in about three years. If the project is revived, the City says a new draft EIR would be required. The land remains unincorporated county land. Separately, Oswit Land Trust told The Coast News it is seeking state funding to buy the land for the San Pasqual Band.
How many homes does the county designation allow?
A theoretical 27 homes, according to the 2017 draft EIR, which lists the site as Rural Lands (RL-40), one home per 40 gross acres, zoned A72 General Agriculture. The 550-home plan would need a Specific Plan, a Tentative Map, a Development Agreement, a sphere-of-influence update, annexation to the City, and a multi-agency agreement moving the property's habitat (MSCP) permit from the County to the City.
How would it have connected to our streets?
In the 2017 draft plan, the main access road would intersect Rockwood Road and run between Old Ranch Road and Vistamonte Avenue. Hole #14 of the Eagle Crest course, now Dos Osos, would be rebuilt to make room for it. Two gated emergency roads would connect to Stonebridge Road to the north and Zoo Road to the south. Later revisions may have changed these details.
What did the 2017 draft EIR find?
It found significant and unavoidable impacts in three areas: air quality during construction, noise, and traffic and circulation. It found that impacts on biological resources, cultural resources, greenhouse gas emissions, utilities and service systems, and wildfire hazards could be mitigated or reduced to less than significant.
What did LAFCO decide in 2022?
On December 5, 2022, LAFCO voted 6–0 to make the site a special study area as part of an update to Escondido's sphere of influence. That lets the site go forward with an actual sphere amendment within five years without a new municipal service review. Any formal addition to the sphere is conditioned on further review of fire risk and evacuation.
Who would own the land if the Oswit purchase goes through?
The San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, according to Oswit Land Trust as reported by The Coast News (September 11, 2026). Oswit plans to transfer all of the land to the tribe and keep a conservation easement to help prevent future development. The purchase is not complete, and Oswit is still seeking state funding. San Pasqual Band Chairman Stephen Cope says the site could be among the tribe's first land returns.
Sources
- City of Escondido — Harvest Hill Specific Plan (formerly Safari Highlands Ranch) project page (undated; accessed October 8, 2026)
- City of Escondido — Environmental Impact Report page (undated; accessed October 2026)
- City of Escondido — City Council minutes (PDF) (April 23, 2014)
- City of Escondido — City Council update on the sphere of influence (PDF) (February 2, 2016)
- City of Escondido — Notice of Revised Project Changes (PDF) (November 3, 2016)
- City of Escondido — Notice of Availability of the Draft EIR (PDF) (October 2017)
- City of Escondido — Notice of Extended Comment Period (PDF) (November 20, 2017)
- City of Escondido — Draft EIR, Chapter 1: Project Description (PDF) (October 2017)
- City of Escondido — Draft EIR, Land Use and Planning section (PDF) (October 2017)
- City of Escondido — Notice of Revised Project Changes and Update (PDF) (November 19, 2018)
- City of Escondido — Project Update (PDF) (September 2019)
- City of Escondido — Revised Project Schedule (PDF) (September 3, 2019)
- City of Escondido — City Council minutes (PDF) (November 20, 2019)
- City of Escondido — Agendas and Minutes portal (accessed October 2026)
- State Clearinghouse (CEQAnet) — Draft EIR record, SCH #2015091039 (received October 13, 2017; review ended January 2, 2018; accessed October 8, 2026)
- San Diego LAFCO — Agenda item 7a, Escondido Part Two municipal service review (PDF) (August 1, 2022)
- San Diego LAFCO — Agenda item 6a, sphere of influence updates for the Escondido region (PDF) (December 5, 2022)
- San Diego LAFCO — Minutes of the December 5, 2022 meeting, agenda item 5a (PDF) (February 6, 2023 agenda)
- San Diego LAFCO — Meetings page (accessed October 2026)
- Wildlife Conservation Board — Meetings and agendas (agendas February 2023–August 2026 reviewed; accessed October 8, 2026)
- California Natural Resources Agency — Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program (accessed October 8, 2026)
- California Natural Resources Agency — 2026 Proposed Escrow-Ready Project Summaries (PDF) (tribal consultation list; accessed October 8, 2026)
- Oswit Land Trust — Newsletter sign-up (accessed October 8, 2026)
- The Times-Advocate — report on the Harvest Hills rebrand (August 1, 2019; news report)
- The Coast News — report on the City's vote timing (October 29, 2020; news report)
- The Coast News — report on the Oswit purchase and the City's application status (September 11, 2026; news report, the only source found for the purchase details)
- SPV Life — Dos Osos Golf Club page, for the course's former name, Eagle Crest
- SPV Life — San Pasqual Battlefield page, for AB 2770 and its September 27, 2026 veto
More valley issues, explained: the Dos Osos RV resort proposal · San Pasqual Academy · San Pasqual Battlefield park. Neighborhood guides: Rancho San Pasqual · Vistamonte.