OLD Lion Canyon
Homes
Nestled in a tranquil location named after the kings of the jungle, the homes at Lion Canyon have been designed to treat cats like royalty.
Princess Place
A large, traditional single-family home designed for 5 people and 3-6 cats.
The Quarters
A small, fully furnished home designed for 4 people and up to 2 cats.
Felicity Heights
Fully furnished studio apartments designed for individuals living with 1-3 cats.
All homes at Lion Canyon include several additional free benefits for tenants with cats.
Location Details
As the property manager, I am happy to share all that I know about this location, having lived here for over 20 years. If you have any questions not covered in this section, please feel free to ask.
Neighborhood
The best feature of this neighborhood is the people who live in it—this area has a curiously high concentration of wonderful, friendly neighbors.
- This is a quiet neighborhood of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. In fact, past this location there is only one short street with 18 homes, so few cars ever drive by at all.
- The neighbors are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare. Unlike many areas around SDSU, the people in this neighborhood are vigilant and don’t let parties get out of hand.
- This area is down in a canyon, so it is especially quiet and there is almost no noise from wind or surrounding areas.
- Since there is a hill on one side of the property, there is only one neighbor close by, and they are some of the nicest folks you’ll ever meet. In fact, most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.
This is the best area of a great neighborhood, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.
- When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
- When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
- When bad things are happening in California, it’s usually not so bad in San Diego.
- Of the relatively few problems San Diego does have, practically none of them occur here in this neighborhood.
- One of the primary problems in San Diego is high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.
Transportation / Parking
[**map]
Freeway Access
This location is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:
- I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.
- I-805 is the very next exit from there.
- I-163 is only two miles past that.
Plus, during typical travel from this location, most of the time traffic is going in the other direction.
Parking
- Space for two large vehicles in a deep driveway for residents of Princess Place.
- Plentiful street parking, because there is only one other house on the entire block (and they always park in their driveway).
Public Transit
With easy access to all three major San Diego public transit systems within walking distance, many people live in this area without cars.
[**fix]
- San Diego MTS Bus Stop Montezuma and 54th (0.3 mi.)
- San Diego MTS Rapid StopandSan Diego MTS Trolley (Green Line)5260 Campanile Dr. (1.1 mi.)https://www.sdmts.com/transit-services/trolley
Top-Rated Schools
This is an incredible area for education with top-rated schools at every level, and many people live here specifically to get access to them. These include:
- College Park Preschool (less than a mile away)
- Hardy Elementary School (just two blocks away)
- Lewis Middle School (less than 2 miles away)
- Patrick Henry High School (less than 3 miles away)
Furthermore, if you need tutoring or childcare services, there are so many college students nearby actively looking for extra work that you can often find graduate students in fields like education or child development who will offer great rates in exchange for convenient work close to home.
SDSU
If you study or work at SDSU, this location is difficult to beat, as this is one of the closest locations around—just 2-3 blocks away from the campus (near Parking Structure 7).
Plus, the SDSU campus is beautiful, and is a great place for anyone to walk, jog, or ride a bike.
Even if you are not a full-time student, the location is convenient if you need continuing education credits for your job. Or, if you want, you can even take classes at SDSU without enrolling. (More info: https://ces.sdsu.edu/open-university)
Grocery Stores
Trader Joe’s is so close that you can use it like an extended pantry, but there are several other grocery stores very close by as well.
[**fix]
- Trader Joe’s 5140 College Ave. (1.0 mi.)
- Grocery Outlet4360 54th Street (1.2 mi.)
- Von’s 6155 El Cajon Blvd. (1.7 mi.)
- Ralph’s 6670 Montezuma Road (1.9 mi.)
- Food 4 Less5975 University Ave (2.5 mi.)
Restaurants
There are hundreds of restaurants within a few miles of this location.
- Fast / Casual There are over 20 fast-food and fast-casual restaurants near the corner of Montezuma and College (about a mile away), with several more coming soon.
- McDonald’s (coming back soon)
- Epic Wings
- Lolita’s Mexican Food
- Everbowl
- Poki One ‘n’ Half
- Which Wich
- Eureka!
- Señor Pancho’s Fresh Mexican Grill
- Trujillo’s Taco Shop
- Jack in the Box
- 55 Thai Kitchen
- African Cuisine
- Domino’s Pizza
- Panda Express
- Rubio’s
- Oggi’s Pizza Express
- Shake Smart
- The Habit Burger Grill
- Chipotle Mexican Grill
- Plant Power Fast Food
- Subway
- The Garden
Plus, there are dozens more down Mission Gorge and hundreds on El Cajon Blvd.
Some others worth noting:
[**fix]
- D.Z. Akin’s6930 Alvarado Road (less than 3 mi. away)(619) 265-0218A San Diego icon that started out with one space in a strip mall, then expanded five times to take over the entire building. This New York-style deli has something for everyone with around 400 items on the menu (they have over 100 types of sandwiches alone), a ridiculously extensive selection of breakfast served all day, a full dinner and dessert menu, plus a full in-house bakery. In over 25 years of going here, I’ve never had anything I didn’t love.
- Antica Trattoria5654 Lake Murray Blvd. in the Lake Murray Village Shopping Center(619) 463-9919Speaking of strip malls, don’t let the location of this one fool you. This Italian restaurant has great ambience and the food is on par with the best restaurants in Little Italy, but with a much more convenient location—just one exit east from College Ave on I-8 to Lake Murray Blvd., then turn right to head north—it’s just past the Vons.
- Ponce’s4050 Adams Ave.(619) 282-4413Great traditional Mexican food close to home. Closed Sundays.
Not close by but worth the drive:
- Funky Fries & Burgers101 W Washington Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020 (plus two other locations)(619) 328-2929If you like burgers, it is impossible to overhype this restaurant. Just try it.
- Tacos El Gordo689 H St, Chula Vista, CA 91910(619) 207-0144Open very late and serves some of the best Tijuana-style tacos and mulas around. Avoid peak hours, as the line can be almost an hour long.
Hospitals
Two major hospitals are within a few miles:
[**fix]
- Alvarado Hospital Medical Center6655 Alvarado Rd. (2.1 mi.)
- Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center4647 Zion Ave. (3.2 mi.)
Veterinarians
Several veterinarians are nearby; here are some of the closest:
Routine Veterinary Care
[**fix]
- College Animal Hospital5653 El Cajon Blvd.(619) 286-1980
- Banfield Pet Hospital4585 College Ave.(619) 286-0963
24-Hour Emergency Veterinary Care
[**fix]
- VCA Emergency Animal Hospital2317 Hotel Circle S.(619) 299-2400
- Pet Emergency & Specialty Center5232 Jackson Dr. #105(619) 462-4800
Shopping
Mission Valley is just a few exits west on I-8. There you’ll find several shopping centers and two large malls, Fashion Valley and Westfield Mission Valley. Practically every major retail store is only a few minutes away.
There are also two Costco locations just a couple of miles away:
[**fix]
- Costco Mission Valley2345 Fenton Pkwy, San Diego, CA 92108
- Costco La Mesa8125 Fletcher Pkwy, La Mesa, CA 91942
Note: While they are both about the same distance away, the Mission Valley location is used as a national test market, so it often has new and interesting products you may not find at other locations.
Gyms
There are many gyms close by, but here are just a few worth noting:
[**fix]
- ARCIf you are a student or faculty member (or are sponsored by one), then you can’t beat the Aztec Recreation Center (ARC) at SDSU, which has one of the largest gyms in the world and Olympic-level facilities for just about every sport in existence.
- Xplicit FitnessFounded by a Golden Glove champion, Xplicit integrates boxing into an intense 40-minute workout that’s fun and feels like you have your own personal trainer.6628 Mission Gorge Rd. (3 mi.)(619) 281-0800https://xplicitfitness.com/https://www.yelp.com/biz/xplicit-fitness-san-diego-25 stars with 131 reviews when checked
- CrossFit 858 If you’re into CrossFit, this is highest rated CrossFit gym in the area, according to Yelp (5 stars with 71 reviews when checked).5841 Mission Gorge Rd. (2.2 mi.)(858) 566-4500http://www.crossfit858.comhttps://www.yelp.com/biz/crossfit-858-san-diego
Local Rental Scams to Watch Out For
[**]
Excessive application fees
Taking fees for hundreds of applications
“You’ll get the keys by mail”
Properties that don’t exist
Local Landlord Nightmares
[**]
This is a nice area, with plenty of nice places to rent. However, there are also many landlords here who take advantage of the incredibly high demand in the area to get away with unethical, Illegal, and dangerous practices—to the point where there are constant news reports about it.
This is not just a problem with the big apartment complexes—a staggering share of the homes in the area have been bought by giant corporations. Some put up a good front, making it seem like you’re dealing with a mom-and-pop landlord, but soon after the lease is signed, tenants face a host of problems.
Below are links to reports from reputable new sources; however, if you check out NextDoor or Reddit for the area, you can find countless more.
Alt: I won’t list them publicly, but if you are interested, enter your email address and you’ll get an automatic response with a list of 20+ articles about landlord nightmares in the immediate area.
Look up Lana stories
Free Benefits for Tenants with Cats
Adoption Fees
We will pay the adoption fees for a cat from Friends of Cats in El Cajon once per year for each home.
Please Note: Haven Homes is not affiliated with Friends of Cats.
Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes
Tenants who have more cats than litter closets in their home (four or more cats in Princess Place; two or more cats elsewhere) will be given the use of premium automated self-cleaning litter boxes (these typically cost $600 or more). Upon moving out, tenants will be given the option to purchase their litter boxes at a reduced cost.
Automatic Self-Filling Water Fountains
To promote your cats’ health, we will provide a filtered water fountain for any tenant who needs one.
For all homes with a bowl basin (i.e., Princess Place and Felicity Heights), we will also install an automatic filling device to make sure your fountain never runs dry. If you would prefer to use your own water bowl instead, we will modify your bowl to be automatically filled. (Most designs with a reservoir can be adapted.)
Automatic Cat Feeders
Each home will be given the use of an automatic cat feeder (these typically cast around $200) which allow the remote control and monitoring of cats’ feeding schedules. Upon moving out, tenants will be given the option to purchase their feeders at a reduced cost.
Cat Solariums
At Felicity Heights or The Quarters, upon request, we will install a cat solarium that has been custom-made to fit in a window in your home. (Note: Princess Place already has a large permanent solarium.)
Site Policies
All profits go to promote animal welfare.
To have any chance of convincing larger developers to copy the model, the homes developed through this project must operate profitably. However, all profits will go toward promoting animal welfare.
Charity begins at home (or, in this case, at Haven Homes), so the first animals to benefit will be those living at Lion Canyon through a series of benefits for cats provided at no cost to the tenants.
Lion Canyon is a quiet home for everyone.
Lion Canyon is designed to be a peaceful refuge for both people and cats, which means excessive noise—like loud music or parties—is not allowed. Because the property manager works from home and lives 100 feet away, this policy will be enforced.
If you did not plan on making much noise anyway, then you can see this quiet policy as a pure benefit, since it won’t restrict you and will ensure your sleep, study, work, or enjoyment of your home will not disturbed by your neighbors. (Sleep is important for everyone’s health, especially cats—in fact, kittens need to sleep 16-20 hours a day for proper development.)
On the other hand, if you see this quiet policy as uncomfortably restrictive, then Lion Canyon probably isn’t for you. However, since practically no other housing in the area has such restrictions, you should have plenty of other options.
Only cats are allowed.
Many dogs are wonderful with cats, but a single misbehaving dog could disturb all cats on the property, so no dogs (apart from trained service animals) or any other pets are allowed—only cats.
(We love dogs, and the next Haven Homes project planned is for large dogs; however, Lion Canyon is for cats only.)
Everyone can use the patio.
Since San Diego has famously perfect weather year-round, you may want to spend much of your time outside. You are welcome to do so on the giant 1,250 sq. ft. raised patio, which has outdoor seating and a 600 sq. ft. covered area with lights and fans, for your quiet enjoyment from 8 am to 10 pm.