The Junipers



Frequently Asked Questions



Since the start of our community outreach in 2016, we’ve received lots of questions. Answers to the questions we can answer at this point in the process are posted here. These FAQs will continue to grow as we continue through the City review and approval process, so please email us if you have a question to add. While we aren’t yet able to answer everything we we’ve been asked, we will continue to work diligently to get the answers.



our property





Q: What happened to Carmel Highlands Golf Course?
We were not involved in the decision to close Carmel Highlands Golf Course. Our understanding is the course closed in March 2015 because of escalating operational costs combined with decreasing rounds and revenue. The drought and increasing cost of water only exacerbated the issues facing course management.


Q: Are you affiliated with the high-density development off the 15?
No. We are not connected to the Casa Mira View apartments.


Q: As the owner of this land, what can we expect from 33North as our neighbor?
We pride ourselves on our commitment to transparency and communication (have you visited our blog?!). While others may have claimed to be listening, we really are. Every concern and idea we hear is evaluated by our team. By sharing the process and providing meaningful opportunities for you to participate, we’re optimistic this can be a positive and productive experience for all of us.


Q: Who are you? What have you been involved in San Diego?
We are Max Frank and Jeff Warmoth of 33North Development Group, the owners of the property formerly known as Carmel Highlands Golf Course. Our group brings more than 40 years of community development experience throughout California and Nevada and we call Southern California home. Max lives in Manhattan Beach and Jeff lives in San Diego county. Click here to read more.


Q: What are the current zoning and land use designations for the property?

​The current zoning for our property is RS-1-14 (Residential Single Unit).

The 1993 Rancho Peñasquitos Community Plan designates our property as “Preserve Golf Course Use”. The City’s General Plan, adopted in 2008, follows suit with a designation that allows golf: Park, Open Space, and Recreation (Private/Commercial Recreation). Both of these designations reflect the property’s former use as the Carmel Highlands Golf Course.



our approach





Q: What opportunities will neighbors have to learn about the new plan and provide input?
We believe that the best way to create a land use plan is through diverse community engagement so ALL voices have the opportunity to be heard. Working along with our project team of leading, sustainable land use planners and design professionals, we will fill in the details of a land use plan for The Junipers based on market research, site constraints and opportunities, and your feedback and suggestions. Click here to read about our community outreach.



our vision





Q: What do you hope to do with the land?
Based on initial feedback, our preliminary conceptual vision is for a new, age-qualified (55+) residential neighborhood of primarily single-story homes that incorporates community benefits for the entire Glens neighborhood. In June, the San Diego Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve this vision and our Community Plan Amendment Initiation request to
redesignate the property from “Preserve Golf Course Use” to “Residential.”

Q: What made you decide on a 55+ community?
Through one-on-one, small group meetings and an open house, we learned that school population and traffic are big concerns. Your comments and suggestions, along with our marketing studies, led us to determine an age-qualified community is the right fit because it eliminates impacts to school population and has a significantly lesser impact on traffic.

Q: How can we be sure The Junipers will remain age-qualified (55+)?
The age-qualified restriction is secured through the City’s approval process. All approvals will mandate a 55+ community.

Q: Who may live in an age-qualified (55+) community?

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Q: What access will the public have to the amenities in The Junipers?
The new Glens neighborhood park, Social Loop and walking trails will be public benefits open to the entire Glens community.

Q: What’s going on with the fitness center and pool?
The fitness center and pool are owned and operated by Hotel Karlan.

Q: Will there be golf?
No. We are repurposing this land. However, incorporation of green space and buffers with adjacent properties will be components of our planning process.

Q: What are your plans for traffic?
The preliminary vision for The Junipers proposes a new arterial road off Carmel Mountain Road. A new neighborhood connector road will reduce impacts to the Peñasquitos Dr./Carmel Mountain Rd. intersection. It will also provide an additional access point for first responders in the event of an emergency or evacuation.

We understand that traffic circulation is an important, emotional and complicated topic. Ingress and egress will be studied to analyze mitigation measures for the Junipers’ as well as potential solutions for existing Glens circulation concerns.

Q: We are very concerned The Junipers will exacerbate an already scary evacuation situation. How are you planning to address this public safety concern?
In response to your feedback, we announced at Charrette 3: Circulation that we have added a fire consultant to the design team to prepare emergency evacuation plans for The Junipers and for the Glens. The fire consultant will coordinate with 33North’s traffic engineers to understand road capacities and estimated time needed for evacuation. He will also identify fire safety best practices to incorporate into The Junipers.

Q: Will The Junipers be gated?
Whether or not The Junipers will be gated has yet to be determined. A “good neighbor” fence is included in our landscape palette as part of the City of San Diego requirements, however these and other details are still being worked out by our design team.



our process





Q: So, how does this process work?
With approval of our Initiation request from the City of San Diego, we now have the framework to begin land use planning. Our team, along with City staff, will evaluate different density and land plan configurations as directed by the City of San Diego and the required California environmental impact review.


Q: What happened at San Diego Planning Commission?
On June 8, 2017, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the request to begin the process to re-designate the property from “Preserve Golf Course Use” to “Residential.”


During their deliberation, the Planning Commissioners encouraged 33North to pursue higher density of at least medium-density when designing The Junipers land use plan. As an example, in the Rancho Peñasquitos Community Plan, Medium-Density would be upwards of 2,500 units on the total 114 acres.


Max and Jeff shared that while 33North is obligated to study the suggested higher density alternatives, they remain committed to the preliminary vision for a maximum of 570 age-qualified (55+), active adult residences.


Q: Where are you in the process?
In June, the San Diego Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve our preliminary vision and our Community Plan Amendment Initiation request to redesignate the property from “Preserve Golf Course Use” to “Residential.” While this was an important early milestone, we still have a lot of work to do. We took the summer to round out our design team, clear brush and fire hazards, and conduct technical studies, including geotechnical and existing utilities. These technical studies have identified the site constraints and opportunities for our 114-acre property.


In August, we hosted a series of design charrettes to get neighbor input on key aspects of The Junipers. The design charrettes highlighted three central planning areas: Community Character (8/28), a New Glens Neighborhood Park (9/13 and 10/11) and Circulation (9/27). Click here to read more about our design charrettes. Participant feedback, along with the findings from our technical studies, has been shared with our design team of land planners, architects and engineers. The team is hard at work preparing the land use plan and application to the City of San Diego for The Junipers.


The plan for The Junipers was debuted at Community Open House Two (11/15/17). Following a presentation to the Rancho Peñasquitos Planning Board Land Use Committee (12/6/17), we submitted our application to the City.


In spring of 2018, we received comments from City staff on our application. The refined plan for The Junipers was presented to the RPPB LUC on 4/4/18. Click here to see the refined plan.


The City of San Diego hosted a Scoping Meeting for The Junipers on 4/18/18. The Scoping Meeting was the starting point for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Environmental Impact Review (EIR) process.