Otay Ranch New Home development (San Diego, Chula Vista: for sale, real estate, buyer) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

searching4perfecthome · 02-18-2015, 02:08 PM

Hi Everyone...

So we began our home search trying to stay central to the city of sd. Learning our money would buy us into a 50+ year old home 1700 square feet if we were lucky all the way out to la mesa brought us to search Otay Ranch. Love the area. We went down last weekend to view a few of the model homes at the Otay Ranch new homes development off of Heritage Rd from Olympic Parkway. Gosh we fell in love the first step into the first home. It's exactly what we need space-wise and is just at the top of our budget. WE were SOLD, EXCITED, and have had our heart set on that model home.

Low and behold...sometimes things are just too good to be true, right? What I mean by that is, I began to research the history of the land and the land surrounding that community. Sadly to learn the Otay Ranch LANDFILL is just to the west of it. WHA-OHHHHh this just spells DISASTER. Not concerned about smell. Concerned VERY MUCH about health related issues. Living near a landfill can be downright deadly causing an array of cancers, leukemia, and even birth defects to babies of those mothers living near one.

Seriously, I was CRUSHED to learn this. I measured the distance from the middle of the community being developed to the front door entrance of this landfill and it was at most 1.5 miles, less than that though....and who knows what the limits of the landfill's property is, still trying to determine that...Most likely that landfill is much less than being within a mile of the center of that new community. I just wonder how many who live there are actually AWARE of that! So many people buy into these new developments without investigating the surrounding areas. Just imagine a breeze from the west pushing the contaminated air from that landfill directly over the community and the nearby schools.

What are peoples thoughts on this? Anyone have any information that would be useful regarding my concerns? I am fully aware that they have controls in place to keep the toxins and contaminants from escaping the landfill but as a Civil Engineer i am fully aware that those controls that are in place are only as good as who designed and approved them and only as good as the person who implements them...and yes of course the county monitors the levels of toxins and contaminants but again those measurements are only as good as the person measuring them...and sadly money always buys a lot of people off too ;/

I just so badly want this home to workout...but it sounds like a recipe for disaster for my family

sschibuola · 02-18-2015, 02:37 PM

Took a quick Google look . . .are you talking about the really new community south of Olympic, or the new-ish one north of Olympic? If south, then yes as a fellow Civil Engineer I too would look elsewhere. This is just an educated guess, but the northern community looks better - it's further away, uphill, blocked by a very large hill from the landfill, and being north, it's probably out of any groundwater or wind patterns (which should be east-west for the air, maybe southwest for the water). This is similar to a master planned community we used to live in in Orange County . . .the nearest landfill was only about two miles away as the crow flies, but it was "the next canyon over" as well as being northwest of us so out of any prevailing wind/water flows.

Otay Ranch is a HUGE development . . .surely there are similar homes to your linking away from this corner . . .e.g. east of the 125?

searching4perfecthome · 02-18-2015, 02:42 PM

Thanks for the reply...just want to be sure I am not over-reacting-over-thinking this...I mean it makes sense to me it would be a disastrous decision to live there. Yes I was talking about the new one under construction right now on the south side of Olympic. I am definitely going to look in other parts of Otay. Are you aware of what are the other newest developed homes in that area that are a better distance from this landfill? Thanks so much

searching4perfecthome · 02-18-2015, 03:12 PM

I would love more feedback regarding this topic from others, thnx

sschibuola · 02-18-2015, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by searching4perfecthome

Thanks for the reply...just want to be sure I am not over-reacting-over-thinking this...I mean it makes sense to me it would be a disastrous decision to live there. Yes I was talking about the new one under construction right now on the south side of Olympic. I am definitely going to look in other parts of Otay. Are you aware of what are the other newest developed homes in that area that are a better distance from this landfill? Thanks so much

Sorry, no, I only have a general impression of that whole end of the County . . .our OC experience taught us that we are not really Masterplanned Community/HOA/CC&R types . . .live free or die! I understand the allure, but it's just not for us.

I had the impression there was a lot of growth east of the 125, but I think that's called Eastlake not Otay Ranch.

Eastlake - San Diego Real Estate & Homes | Chula Vista Homes for Sale | McMillin Realty

But hopefully others who actually live in this area have better info!

searching4perfecthome · 02-20-2015, 10:10 AM

So I went back to the area to look around a bit more at the model homes and what I could see from them. I had a great time asking the sales center person about the landfill lol. The person's response when I mentioned "yea my only concern is that landfill"...was "what landfill" hahaha do you think I did not do my homework sales center person...because you better betchya i did. I aint going to buy into a place blindly without looking at surrounding areas and future plans for developing surrounding areas. My response then was "THAT landfill (pointing in its direction)...the one that is RIGHT there"....person seized conversation with me with a few quiet mutters. Still investigating the landfill and the effects of living nearby one.

sschibuola · 02-20-2015, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by searching4perfecthome

So I went back to the area to look around a bit more at the model homes and what I could see from them. I had a great time asking the sales center person about the landfill lol. The person's response when I mentioned "yea my only concern is that landfill"...was "what landfill" hahaha do you think I did not do my homework sales center person...because you better betchya i did. I aint going to buy into a place blindly without looking at surrounding areas and future plans for developing surrounding areas. My response then was "THAT landfill (pointing in its direction)...the one that is RIGHT there"....person seized conversation with me with a few quiet mutters. Still investigating the landfill and the effects of living nearby one.

THAT's funny . . .and almost exactly mirrors the conversation I had with the sales rep at the OC masterplanned community years ago . . .they were a LITTLE more sophisticated . . .their answer was "oh yeah, that thing . . .it's over the hill and you can't see it or smell it . . I've lived in San Clemente all my life and no one ever complains about it . . . plus I heard it's gonna close soon."

Went on-line to check it out . . it's closing in 2067 . . . buyer beware!

bmd69 · 02-20-2015, 01:28 PM

Lived in the area and never caught wind of the LF.

sschibuola · 02-20-2015, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmd69

Lived in the area and never caught wind of the LF.

yeah . . .as the OP said the issue isn't really with odor. Municipal landfills are highly regulated and need to have some pretty sophisticated systems in place to control so-called fugitive gas and leachate . . .the potential concern is with the little bit that might escape by air or water . .not enough to smell but given all the carcinogenic crap that goes into landfills - e.g. plastics and all sorts of discarded chemicals that break down and mix with methane . . . a nasty brew and no containment system is 100% . . .so a valid concern, particularly when you have choices of where to live . . .as the old saying goes . . .chances are low, but why take the chance?

bmd69 · 02-23-2015, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sschibuola

yeah . . .as the OP said the issue isn't really with odor. Municipal landfills are highly regulated and need to have some pretty sophisticated systems in place to control so-called fugitive gas and leachate . . .the potential concern is with the little bit that might escape by air or water . .not enough to smell but given all the carcinogenic crap that goes into landfills - e.g. plastics and all sorts of discarded chemicals that break down and mix with methane . . . a nasty brew and no containment system is 100% . . .so a valid concern, particularly when you have choices of where to live . . .as the old saying goes . . .chances are low, but why take the chance?

I sure would not like to look at backyard and see the Landfill, but the folks out there are being sold that everything is on the downlow.

By they way I worked as a Geologist on CECOS International in Niagara Falls Hazardous LF. That was one scary landfill.