The Specific Plan area is planned as a high quality, rural and Country Town residential community offering a range of residential densities and housing types built around a working cattle ranch. The intent is to create an authentic rural village inspired by the history of Star Ranch and Campo Valley and respectful of the unique natural beauty and rugged character of the Campo/Lake Morena area.  In this respect, the Specific Plan is guided by the compact design of Lake Morena Village rather than the uncoordinated large lot development that has resulted in aesthetically and environmentally damaging settlement patterns in some backcountry areas that are difficult to defend from wildfires. Further, the Specific Plan recognizes that lot sizes of less than one-acre in size are typical for the majority of the residents who live in this area and seeks to reinforce a rural development pattern which provides a variety of housing opportunities while maximizing the preservation of open space.

The Specific Plan allows for the construction of up to 423 village residential units within an expanded Cameron Corners Country Town area. The village area expansion is intended to implement goals of the draft General Plan Update, while respecting the current general plan. It will require an amendment to the General Plan Regional Category to extend the Cameron Corners Country Town (CT) boundary into the Star Ranch property.  When the General Plan Update is adopted, the expanded CT boundary will serve as the Village Area Boundary for Cameron Village.

Included within the expanded village area are 172 half-acre view lots on the west side of the pasture, 125 small single-family lots (6,600 square foot) on the east side of the pasture, 60 attached senior housing units adjacent to the village center (east of SR-94) and 66 condominium units south of the village center.  
North of the village area (outside the proposed CT regional category expansion) 12 two-acre estate lots are planned to continue the current pattern of development along Buckman Springs Road.. Building areas for the homes on these lots are planned far back from the roadway and largely out of view from motorists.  Access to these lots will be along a frontage road and will not require any driveways or access directly on or from Buckman Springs Road.

Approximately one-mile west of the village area, 25 two to five-acre equestrian estate lots are grouped on 90 acres of western facing hillside, above a secluded interior valley, which is hidden from major roadways and existing residential areas. Ownership of each equestrian estate lot will include a proportionate share of the residual 1,735 acre cattle ranch, which will continue to be operated by the Ranch Association. The ongoing ranch operations will preserve and maintain an extensive interconnected open space system, which includes the Campo Creek Meadow cited in the Draft Community Character Plan for Campo/Lake Morena Village.  The Ranch Association’s open space will be augmented by additional open space areas located adjacent to the village residential areas. The open space areas outside the Ranch will be maintained by one or more Homeowners Associations. The open space system will include approximately 9 miles of multi-purpose trails. The ownership and maintenance of common open space areas, under both Ranch Association and Homeowner Association jurisdictions, will be implemented through an administrative permit.

The Specific Plan includes approximately 14.1 acres (excluding street rights-of-way) of village commercial center (Village Center at Cameron Corners) near the junction of Buckman Springs Road and SR 94. Adjoining the village center, on the east side of SR-94 and north of the senior apartments, a 4.4 acre medical center has been planned to provide needed health care services for local residents as part of the village commercial center. The village center will be designed with pedestrian oriented streets and envisions a post office, grocery store, retail shops, restaurants, and personal services, in a central location for residents and visitors in the area. On the south side of the village center, a 3.5 acre site has been planned for a boutique style hotel with adjoining hotel bungalows.  Immediately north of the commercial village is a 14.4-acre community park with both active and passive park areas. The community park will provide a local community gathering place for all residents in the area.

Four vehicular entrances to the specific plan area will be provided from existing county roads. Primary access to the residences from Buckman Springs Road will be provided by a local road and public trail on the north side of the village boundary. This road will also provide a connection to the ranch road, which travels westward, then southward through the equestrian ranch estate parcels. Two additional entries will be provided by village center streets; one that enters from Buckman Springs Road and the other from SR-94. An existing ranch road at the southern extent of the village area intersects with SR-94 and will be improved to provide a fourth entrance. All neighborhoods will have a secondary access. All neighborhoods will be served by private local streets built to County standards. Buckman Springs Road connects the Specific Plan to Lake Morena Village, I-8, and Pine Valley to the north.
Grading has been designed to balance on site and follow the existing landform as much as possible. While mass grading will be employed for much of the Village area, grading for lots two acres or larger in the village area and the equestrian estate homes in the central valley area will be limited to building pads, driveways and roadways only.

Water will be provided by a mutual water company, to be operated by the Star Ranch Company (or designee) drawing domestic water from onsite wells, which will be treated at a central water treatment facility located near the village center. The water and wastewater system are part of a water balance system that will allow the Specific Plan area to be self sufficient in the long term with respect to its water needs. Star Ranch is located in the Campo groundwater basin which is the beneficiary of relatively abundant yearly rainfall that collects in a shallow aquifer located below the ranch pasture areas.  Compared to current agricultural operations there will be a neutral-to-positive impact on available groundwater supplies on the Campo groundwater basin with the formation of a mutual water company.
Wastewater generated by all residential and commercial development in the Specific Plan area, except for rural lots to be served by septic system, will be conveyed to an onsite sewage treatment plant. It is anticipated that the sewage treatment plant will be operated by an expanded Del Campo County Sanitation District. It is proposed that the new wastewater treatment plant will supplement or replace the existing County wastewater treatment plant that has long served the Campo/Campo Hills area and will also serve the Star Ranch Specific Plan area. The residential lots of two or more acres within Star Ranch will be served by septic systems. The septic layouts for all non-sewered estate lots will be reviewed and approved by the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health (DEH) prior to approval of the Vesting Tentative Map.

It is the goal of the Specific Plan to incorporate sustainable design features to minimize development impacts on land, water, and other resources. In general, all infrastructure systems, including the roadway and trail systems, are designed as part of a “green infrastructure” system that conserves resources and protects the environmental health of the Specific Plan area. Examples of sustainable Specific Plan features include: 1) a reclaimed water system, which conserves water and avoids potential groundwater contamination and health issues associated with septic systems; 2) provision of vegetated swales along the ranch roads and local private roads to convey and naturally cleanse (biofiltrate) runoff before it percolates into the groundwater; and, 3) limiting grading and overall impervious surfaces to decrease runoff flows and allow greater rainwater infiltration.