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Maldonado family farm closes in Cardiff

Land owner sells parcel (zoned for 7 homes) to developer instead

Fred Maldonado
Fred Maldonado

Maldonado Farms, active in Cardiff by the Sea for over 40 years, is shutting down — at least at the location they’ve held. The large greenhouse at 1412 MacKinnon Road was torn down last week.

Sitting next to northbound lanes of I-5, the farm was known in the community for its fall pumpkin patch, Christmas trees, and Valentine’s bouquets. It also grew flowers commercially on the just-over one-acre parcel.

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On March 14, arriving to pick up the few remaining items on the property, owner Fred Maldonado said, “It’s unfortunate we had to leave. All the neighbors have come over and are really upset.”

The Maldonado family thought they had a long-term deal to purchase the property from the original owner. They had negotiated as late as eight months ago, with the expected sale to take place by June. However, according to Maldonado, an out-of-town developer convinced the owner to sell the property right away.

Although legal action was taken, along with counter offers, the legal process became too expensive for the Maldonado family to try to retain the property.

Referring to how many years his family has worked the land, Fred Maldonado said, “It’s a shame when all of us long-term, local families are forced out. These developers come in and they’ll be the ones to make all the money.”

The land is zoned R-5, allowing for up to seven homes on the property, but it is yet to be determined if Caltrans will take up to 75 feet of right-of-way for its massive I-5 widening project, which begins in a few years.

Maldonado is looking for more land to farm between Cardiff and Leucadia but realizes finding coastal agricultural land may be a hard find in what used to be the “Flower Capital of the World.”

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Fred Maldonado
Fred Maldonado

Maldonado Farms, active in Cardiff by the Sea for over 40 years, is shutting down — at least at the location they’ve held. The large greenhouse at 1412 MacKinnon Road was torn down last week.

Sitting next to northbound lanes of I-5, the farm was known in the community for its fall pumpkin patch, Christmas trees, and Valentine’s bouquets. It also grew flowers commercially on the just-over one-acre parcel.

Sponsored
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On March 14, arriving to pick up the few remaining items on the property, owner Fred Maldonado said, “It’s unfortunate we had to leave. All the neighbors have come over and are really upset.”

The Maldonado family thought they had a long-term deal to purchase the property from the original owner. They had negotiated as late as eight months ago, with the expected sale to take place by June. However, according to Maldonado, an out-of-town developer convinced the owner to sell the property right away.

Although legal action was taken, along with counter offers, the legal process became too expensive for the Maldonado family to try to retain the property.

Referring to how many years his family has worked the land, Fred Maldonado said, “It’s a shame when all of us long-term, local families are forced out. These developers come in and they’ll be the ones to make all the money.”

The land is zoned R-5, allowing for up to seven homes on the property, but it is yet to be determined if Caltrans will take up to 75 feet of right-of-way for its massive I-5 widening project, which begins in a few years.

Maldonado is looking for more land to farm between Cardiff and Leucadia but realizes finding coastal agricultural land may be a hard find in what used to be the “Flower Capital of the World.”

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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