PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 25, NO. 32
OCT. 28, 2011
THISWEEK Applicants make pitch for seat
BIG DREAMS
8-year-old Sadie Duca has the dream of becoming a professional A8 singer.
‘GARBAGE SOUP’
By Wehtahnah Tucker
Charles Moore talks about the discovery of trash in the Pacific B1 Ocean.
INSIDE TWO SECTIONS, 48 PAGES
Arts & Entertainment . . A8 Baby Boomer Peace . . . . A10 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A9 Camp Pendleton News . . B12 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B16 Comics & Puzzles . . . . . B18 Consumer Reports . . . . . B3 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . . . B9 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . A16 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . . B11 Life, Liberty, Leadership A4 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . B7 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Pet Central . . . . . . . . . . B5 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . A22 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . B10 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A5
SAY “BAA-AA”
A goat in the Del Mar Pumpkin Station's petting zoo smiles for the Coast News cameras. Left Ellie Vertocchini celebrates her first Halloween. Right, Bijan, a Shitzu/Yorkie mix owned by Del Mar residents Joyce and Brionna Ohayon enjoys event. See more photos on page B10.
Photos by Daniel Knighton
Affordable housing project redesigned By Bianca Kaplanek
SOLANA BEACH — In response to sometimes hostile comments made during an August workshop, the developer of a proposed affordable housing complex presented revised plans at an Oct. 18 meeting, during which residents were given an opportunity to question city and development team staff members. Ginger Hitzke has been working with the city for about a year to possibly build a 10-unit, mixed-use
complex on a city-owned, 31-space parking lot on South Sierra Avenue. Completion of the project would satisfy a decadesold requirement to replace affordable housing units lost in the early 1990s when city action shut down a mobile home park. Since then Solana Beach has been involved in several costly lawsuits. Hitzke’s development, called The Pearl, would include three one-, two- and three-bedroom units rang-
ing from 510 to 1,075 square feet, one 1,200square-foot four-bedroom flat and about 1,300 square feet of commercial space that cannot be eliminated because of zoning. Originally planned to feature an upscale market, the commercial area is now slated for offices after residents complained about a possible increase in traffic, parking, crime and litter. The existing 31 parking spaces used mostly by beachgoers and as a drop-
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DRAWING BOARD The Pearl development complex is shown in this artist rendering. Courtesy rendering
off area for the city’s junior lifeguard program will be retained above ground. Another 23 spaces for tenants and commercial customers will be added in a semi-enclosed underground structure. The city held a public hearing in January and the first workshop in June. During a follow-up workshop Aug. 15, most of the approximately 80 attendees were upset because TURN TO HOUSING ON A21
ENCINITAS — Twelve of the 13 applicants to fill the vacant seat on the five-member City Council individually addressed the council during a regular meeting Oct. 26. Alice Jacobson did not attend, citing a scheduling conflict. During the five-minute speeches that varied from the heavily scripted to the off-the-cuff humorous remarks, applicants outlined the reasons each wanted to serve out the term of longtime councilwoman Maggie Houlihan who died from cancer Sept. 16. Tony Brandenburg, a current member of the city’s planning commission called the seat a “coveted position.” At age 18 he hitchhiked to San Diego and figured out that his rural roots were conflicting with the bustling city. He took a bus north and settled in Encinitas. “I knew Encinitas was my home,” he said. Brandenburg told the council he doesn’t have the answers to the issues that face the city, but said with cooperation from council and public he would help find solutions. “Both Encinitas and I have changed, “ he said. Like some other applicants who spoke, Brandenburg paid homage to Houlihan. “Nobody would suggest they could replace Ms. Houlihan,” he said. “The lady was a gift, a jewel. “I can’t tell you that I am TURN TO APPLICANTS ON A21