Inland Edition, April 30, 2021

Page 1

The Coast News INLAND EDITION

.com ESCONDIDO, SAN MARCOS, VISTA

VOL. 6, N0. 9

APRIL 30, 2021

SMUSD adds days on campus New schedule begins Tuesday By Tigist Layne

SAN MARCOS — The San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD) held a board meeting on Tuesday, April 20, and decided to move forward with plans to expand in-person learning, effective Tuesday, May 4. The board met for the first time since facing a wave of criticism from families and community members after refusing to comply with a judge’s order to fully reopen schools. PAGE 5: SMUSD names new superintendent.

BOMB THREAT PROMPTS EVACUATION OF HIGH SCHOOL

units per acre. The zoning change would be from commercial to mixed use. There would be a mix of townhomes and apartments, most being one bedroom and studio apartments, Withers said. One of the biggest concerns for the council, though, was the lack of affordable housing units presented by Excel. The council made clear it wants a range of at least 6% to 10% of any project to be affordable units; Councilwoman Katie Melendez said she prefers more than 10%. Preliminary amenities include a clubhouse, pool, plaza, walking paths, clean-up drainage ditch and 628 parking spaces. Additionally, the concepts show nine three-story buildings to accommodate the housing. However, no retail space was detailed in the presentation, leading one resident to say it was a loophole for the developer to exploit a

Last week, a court decided not to compel SMUSD to speed up their reopening plans, granting them the legislative authority to reopen at their own pace. At the meeting, the board decided to expand in-person learning for elementary students from two days a week to four days a week. For middle and high school students, in-person learning will expand from two days a week to either three or four days a week, depending on how many students opt into these additional days. Based on the number of secondary students wishing to participate, schools will assign their students one or two extra days on campus. To determine the number of students who want to opt into these additional days, secondary school sites are sending out surveys to their students this week. Families who do not complete the survey will automatically remain in the current two-day hybrid model. Interim Superintendent Tiffany Campbell said that although many secondary families want their kids

TURN TO BURLINGTON ON 8

TURN TO SMUSD ON 3

A San Diego County sheriff’s deputy helps direct students being loaded onto buses in response to a bomb threat at San Marcos High School on Tuesday. No suspicious devices were found after an extensive search of the campus in the 1600 block of San Marcos Boulevard. The Sheriff’s Department said that shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday an “unknown subject” called the school and claimed the device was on the campus. Approximately 1,200 students were then taken by bus to San Marcos Middle School to be picked up by parents or family members. The campus was reopened that evening. An investigation is ongoing. Photo by Joe Orellana

Vista eyes development plan for Burlington site By Steve Puterski

VISTA — A new redevelopment proposal is sparking intrigue and concerns over how the former Burlington Coat Factory property could look. During its April 13 meeting, the Vista City Council discussed a proposal of 256 residential units at 650 Sycamore Ave., between Shadowridge Drive and Thibodo Road, that John Conley, the city’s community development director, reported to the council. Currently, the Shadowridge Veterinarian Hospital operates onsite, while the former retail store sits abandoned and the property has turned into blight, according to the council. Sarah Withers, development manager for Excel Property Management, which owns the property, said her company is opening the dialogue to the city and community as a way to build the vision for the property. She stressed the designs presented are concepts and the

A PROPOSAL for 256 residential units at 650 Sycamore Ave. was discussed during the April 13 Vista City Council meeting. The council, along with residents, gave feedback during the discussion item as the plan now begins to take shape. Photo by Steve Puterski

developer will take into account feedback from residents and the council. “We’ve worked diligently to find other tenants, but with COVID and the current economic state of our country, it has been very difficult,” Withers said. “We believe a

mixed-use development is best. We don’t want it to stay vacant for too long.” According to Conley, Excel is requesting a General Plan land use amendment from general commercial to mixed use, which allows for a maximum density of 40 dwelling

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Inland Edition, April 30, 2021 by Coast News Group - Issuu