Developers, government officials and environmentalists have been negotiating on revisions to the Otay Mesa Conveyance plan, which will guide commercial and residential development of 23,000 acres in South County, for almost 10 years. The board discussed the plan last week and agreed to continue the hearing on plan revisions until Aug. 7. Supervisor Greg Cox says he hopes to adopt a definitive agreement² at the meeting.

Otay Ranch Co., the master developer of the property, is navigating through a maze of new environmental and land title issues in trying to assemble property and begin development. In recent years, the number of owners of Otay Ranch has increased from two owners to 10. The large number of owners has made land conveyance a tricky proposition, according to Cox.

The city of Chula Vista has also made changes to the project¹s conveyance map. Chula Vista and San Diego County drafted the original development plan in 1993 to guide development of Otay Ranch and protect up to 11,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land.