Carlsbad CA— The City of Carlsbad completed a comprehensive report, on Friday, analyzing a proposed citizen-led initiative for a “specific plan” on 203.4 acres of land east of I-5 between the south shore of Agua Hedionda Lagoon and Cannon Road. The report provides the city’s analysis of the initiative’s compliance with the city’s land use policies, including its voter-approved Growth Management Program. The report also evaluates the initiative’s potential economic, fiscal and environmental effects on the city.
After analyzing the initiative and related technical studies and environmental analyses provided by the initiative proponents, a team including city staff and outside experts from a variety of fields found the plan to be largely in compliance with city laws, policies and standards.
The report finds that the plan proposed by the initiative substantially meets current city planning standards and policies, including all but one of the city’s strict standards for growth management. According to city traffic engineers, growth from outside Carlsbad will prevent current traffic standards from being met, regardless of whether or not the plan is implemented. In fact, the team found that traffic would be better if the plan were implemented than it would be under the “no project” alternative. That is because the plan includes provisions to improve local streets and intersections to help alleviate traffic congestion.
The city’s economic analysis showed the plan proposed by the initiative would provide significant economic benefits, although less than projected by the proponents’ studies. On the environmental front, the city found that the environmental analysis conducted by the initiative proponents is in substantial conformance with normal city policies and practices and those that would be reviewed under the California Environmental Quality Act.
Under the California Elections Code, which spells out the rules for the initiative process, a City Council may request the preparation of a “9212 report” to study a proposed initiative. The City Council requested the report, which is named for the section of the elections code related to citizen-led initiatives, at its May 19 meeting.
The initiative proposes the “Agua Hedionda 85/15 Specific Plan.” According to the notice of intent, “The Specific Plan affects approximately 203.4 acres of land between the south shore of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon and Cannon Road by protecting and conserving approximately 176.7 acres for open space, continuing and supporting strawberry farming and coastal agricultural (more than 85% of the Specific Plan area) and reserving approximately 26.7 acres (less than 15% of the Specific Plan area) for a new pedestrian-friendly outdoor retail, shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation promenade – at no tax burden to Carlsbad residents.” The specific plan proposed by the initiative would allow up to 585,000 square feet of new visitor-serving commercial, shopping, dining, entertainment and recreational uses on the 26.7 acres reserved for retail development. See a map comparing current and proposed land uses.
The 48 acres of land just east of I-5 on Cannon Road has a General Plan land use designation of travel/recreation commercial, meaning retail shops, restaurants and other similar uses would be allowed. The approximately 155 acres east of that parcel is designated as permanent open space. The proposed initiative would allow retail development on about half of the 48 acre parcel and add the other half to the existing open space land.
On July 8 initiative proponents submitted to the city more than the 9,784 signatures required to bring the initiative forward for a decision. The city provided the petitions to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters for verification and “certification of sufficiency.” The San Diego County Registrar of Voters is expected to determine the validity of the signatures by mid-August. If the Registrar of Voters verifies that the petition has enough valid signatures, the City Council must either adopt the initiative without any changes or call a special election and put the initiative on the ballot.
The initiative was first proposed on May 12 when Carlsbad residents Bill Dominguez, Carlton Lund and Maureen Simons submitted to the City of Carlsbad a notice of intent to circulate a petition for a citizen-led initiative. Caruso Affiliated is the primary sponsor of the plan described in the initiative.
The page report is available on the city website at www.carlsbadca.gov/cityhall/clerk/initiative.asp and at the City Clerk’s Office, 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive.