Who We Are

The PQ-NE Action Group was formed as a community nonprofit organization in 2007 to represent the interests of northeast Rancho Peñasquitos, an area targeted by the City of San Diego for significant redevelopment. Our group’s initial success was Cresta Bella, an apartment complex at the corner of Peñasquitos Drive and Carmel Mountain Road. We worked with the City of San Diego and the developers to restructure the project from 1,000+ apartments into a 368-unit, architecturally pleasing housing project completed in 2011. 

When the Doubletree Golf Course closed in 2015, it became a focal point of discussion among our neighbors. Of key concern: The high-density Junipers housing project planned on the 115-acre site would increase our risk during a wildfire evacuation. We live in the only Rancho Peñasquitos community with just one exit. Our group became very visible safety advocates for our neighbors—attending meetings, holding town halls and speaking with the media. 

We were disappointed when The Hotel Karlan (formerly the Doubletree Hotel) closed at the end of 2019, to be replaced with another redevelopment project, the 331-unit Millennium PQ apartment complex. We tried, but were not able to replicate the success of Cresta Bella. The developer of the project offered some negotiated concessions, but nothing significant. 

In June 2021, the City Council permitting hearing was held for the 536-unit Junipers project. Prior to the hearing, we met with each Councilmember and their staffs, sharing our community’s concerns about wildfire evacuation risks, the cumulative impacts of new major projects in the area, as well as general traffic congestion. We requested the City Council NOT to permit the Junipers with the current project plan, which was based on flawed data. Despite a valiant effort, Lennar Homes triumphed with the Council’s vote to permit the project. 

But that wasn’t the end of the story: On behalf of the community, the PQ-NE Action Group filed a lawsuit in August 2021 to address concerns related to the California Environmental Quality Act and community plan over the housing project. Residents sought additional evacuation routes in their wildfire-prone area, among other actions. In February 2023, Superior Court Judge Ronald Frazier ruled the Junipers’ Environmental Impact Report flawed and halted construction, noting that the project had failed to account for two large nearby housing projects. 

On August 16, 2023, a settlement agreement was reached. The agreement includes the following actions by Lennar Homes and Carmel Land LLC in pursuit of a safer environment for residents of northeast Rancho Peñasquitos. 

• Construct a roundabout at the intersection of Cuca Street and Peñasquitos Drive; 

• Apply for an additional residential road and a full-sized, code-compliant emergency access road out of northeast Rancho Peñasquitos and construct these roads if approved; 

• Increase the size of the park area in the Junipers project that will be open to all residents; 

• Plant an additional 93 mature trees to provide a screen against noise and emissions from the nearby freeway, at agreed-upon locations on the Junipers site; and 

• Provide funding for the purchase and placement of evacuation equipment storage sheds in northeast Rancho Peñasquitos.