“I believe in smart growth with good planning,
not forced growth with no planning.“
Encinitas is becoming a crowded coastal city, which is in contrast to the reputation we had as a quiet beach town.
Illustrating that point, our current City Council up-zoned 15 properties (see list below), transforming them into high-density, multi-family development opportunities, despite the refusal of city voters to approve the move.
Advocates for this up-zoning claimed these projects would provide affordable housing, but instead they yield a very small amount of less expensive units surrounded by a lot of luxury apartments and condos. And, now, the state housing agency (HCD) has notified the city that our Housing Plan is not producing the affordability they expected, so Council will have to upzone another set of properties in 2023!
Yes, we need more affordable housing, but it should not precede upgrades in infrastructure and it should never be the result of our overturned vote. Preserving individual community character needs to be a priority.
Look closely at the high-density projects below. You’ll have difficulty seeing anything that looks like, or reminds you of, Encinitas.
The way to protect our town from future damage of this sort is to replace the Mayor and City Council , elect state legislators who support us, and get behind the Local Control petition drive. That initiative will be re-launched in 2023 and will secure our right to control our local neighborhoods, instead of taking orders from Sacramento.
It’s time for a change. Together we can choose new leadership that will focus on preserving the character of our community and save our neighborhoods.
Maps – By the Numbers
We’re getting much more housing than promised with less affordability than required: The City has been caught telling the state housing agency that our projects will be built out at 100% affordable (meaning ALL UNITS will be ‘affordable’) – but they’ve been telling the developers to only build projects at 20% affordable – leaving the City of Encinitas over 1,000 units short of our requirement.
IMPORTANT – this map does not include non-HEU projects (those outside of the Affordable Housing Plan enacted with Measure “U”)
Click image to expand . (Map can be shared.)
TOTAL NEW HOUSING COMING TO ENCINITAS: 2,503.
Housing Element (HEU) projects combined with commercial developments yields an updated total of 2,503 new apartments and houses in the pipeline to be built in Encinitas.
Click image to expand . (Map can be shared.)
North Leucadia: 824 new housing units in 7 projects are now in various stages of planning. Five of these were upzoned to R30+ when Measure “U” was overturned by Council.
Also, shown here are the 160 new hotel rooms, of which 130 are completed and are already impacting the area.
Click image to expand . (Map can be shared.)
Central Encinitas: LOCATED WITHIN 1 SQUARE MILE – 1,274 new housing units in 5 projects. All were upzoned to R30+ when Measure “U” was overturned by Council. The three in the lower right are the former Sunshine Gardens Nursery, next door to that, and across the street.
Click image to expand . (Map can be shared.)
Quail Gardens & Encinitas Blvd. intersection: 827 new housing units on 3 upzoned properties are in planning. All were part of the Measure “U” upzoning.
Click image to expand . (Map can be shared.)
2016 HEU map of Measure “U” sites. Note the units count per site and compare with actual # of units being built (below).
Click to expand.
Prop. “A” and Measure “U”
Prop A protects us from overdevelopment that threatens to destroy the two precepts upon which the City of Encinitas was founded, “Community Character and Quality of Life”. These precepts are what guide Encinitas and make it such a beautiful place to live, and must remain intact. Learn more here, here, and here.
Measure “U” was a housing plan voted down by the residents, but later overturned – and then enacted – by Council. This action upzoned all 15 properties to R30+ (three story apartments and condos). See properties below.
City of Encinitas Housing Element Update (HEU)
List of 15 HEU projects
#1 – 1967 VULCAN
HEU # AD8, Vulcan & La Costa site
RENTAL APARTMENTS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 50 / 50 / 100%
Actual: 72 / 12 / 16.6%
Affordable unit deficit: -38 units
Opposition: Now Leucadia
#2 – CLARK AVE APARTMENTS
HEU # AD31, Meyer Proposal
RENTAL APARTMENTS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 163 / 163 / 100%
Actual: 199 / 40 / 20%
Affordable unit deficit: -123 units
Opposition: Clark Development Action Group
#3 – FOX POINT FARMS
HEU # 09, Echter Property
CONDOS – AFFORDABLE UNITS WILL BE RENTALS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 246 / 246 / 100%
Actual: 250 / 40 / 16%
Affordable unit deficit: -206 units
#4 – ENCINITAS BLVD APT.S (Goodson)
(Item #10C on this agenda report)
HEU # 08, Rancho Santa Fe sites (Goodson)
RENTAL APARTMENTS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 149 / 149 / 100%
Actual: 250 / 50 / 20%
Affordable unit deficit: -99 units
Opposition: Encinitas Residents for Responsible Development
#5 – MAREA VILLAGE
HEU # 07, Jackel Property
RENTAL APARTMENTS
* also includes a 30-room hotel
Project plans from City website
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 33 / 33 / 100%
Actual: 94 / 19 / 20%
* does not include 30 rooms from boutique hotel
Affordable unit deficit: -14 units
Opposition: Now Leucadia
#6 – MOONLIGHT APARTMENTS
HEU # 05, Encinitas Blvd & Quail Gardens Dr.
550, 590, & 696 Encinitas Blvd.
RENTAL APARTMENTS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 119 / 119 / 100%
Actual: 202 / 30 / 14.8%
Affordable unit deficit: -89 units
#7 – PIRAEUS POINT
HEU # 02, Cannon Property
CONDOS – AFFORDABLE UNITS WILL BE FOR SALE
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 173 / 173 / 100%
Actual: 149 / 15 / 10%
Affordable unit deficit: -158 units
Opposition email: encinitascommunitycollective@gmail.com
#8 – QUAIL MEADOWS (see page 2)
HEU # AD2, Baldwin & Sons Property
Quail Gardens Drive & May Hollows Lane
* This will be a 6-story tall building
RENTAL APARTMENTS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 225 / 225 / 100%
Actual: 483 / 72 / 15%
Affordable unit deficit: -153 units
#9 – SUNSHINE GARDEN APTS
HEU # 12, Sunshine Gardens
RENTAL APARTMENTS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 84 / 84 / 100%
Actual: 140 / 21 / 15%
Affordable unit deficit: -63 units
#10 – SAGE CANYON PARCEL (see page 3)
HEU # AD1, Sage Canyon
RENTAL APARTMENTS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 60 / 60 / 100%
Actual: 145 / 29 / 25%
Affordable unit deficit: -31 units
#11 – SAINTS CONSTANTINE AND HELEN SENIOR APT.S (see page 3)
HEU # 01, Greek Church
3459 Manchester Avenue
RENTAL APARTMENTS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 50 / 50 / 100%
Actual: 60 / 12 / 20%
Affordable unit deficit: -38 units
#12 – ARMSTRONG PARCELS
(no known submittals)
HEU # 06
Next to Armstrong Nursery, N El Camino Real
RENTAL APARTMENTS EXPECTED
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 55 / 55 / 100%
Actual: *awaiting applications
Affordable unit deficit: not yet known
#13 – SEACOAST CHURCH
(no known submittals)
HEU # AD9
1050 Regal Road
RENTAL APARTMENTS
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 35 / 35 / 100%
Actual: *awaiting applications
Affordable unit deficit: not yet known
#14 – MANCHESTER AVE. WEST
(no known submittals)
HEU # AD11
2951 Manchester Avenue
RENTAL APARTMENTS EXPECTED
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 41 / 41 / 100%
Actual: *awaiting applications
Affordable unit deficit: not yet known
#15 – HARRISON SITES
(no known submittals)
HEU # AD14
364 & 371 2nd St
Units: total / affordable / % aff
Promised: 21 / 21 / 100%
Actual: *awaiting applications
Affordable unit deficit: not yet known
Other Projects (non HEU)
La Costa Hotel
17-room boutique hotel at La Costa Ave & I-5 (next to Chevron station).
241 Andrew Ave.
12 homes with ADU’s
La Costa 48 & SD Reader article
NW corner of La Costa Ave & I-5
Torrey Crest
30 homes
27 market rate, 3 affordable
1220-1240 Melba Road & 1190 Island View Lane
Cap’n Kenos site (mixed use)
Hwy 101, S. Leucadia
845 Santa Fe Drive
57 unit project
(40 single family, 17 multi-family)
*More detail soon