The coast news, april 24, 2015

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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92025 PERMIT NO. 94

THE COAST NEWS

.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

VOL. 29, N0. 17

APRIL 24, 2015

SAN MARCOS -NEWS

.com THE VISTA NEWS

.com La Costa Estates resident Tracy Teregis spoke out against shortterm rentals in the residential areas of Carlsbad at a council meeting Tuesday night. Photo by Ellen Wright

The Girling family, son Falcon, parents Frances and Luke, and daughter Josie, in their home organic garden. The soon to open Cyclops Farms will be an agritourism enterprise. Photo by Promise Yee

Agritourism is taking root in Oceanside By Promise Yee

OCEANSIDE — City and businesses efforts are coming together to launch agritourism efforts in Oceanside that will provide tactile farm experiences to visitors and locals. Tracey Bohlen, city economic development manager, described agritourism as “something you can touch,

taste, experience and buy.” Possibilities range from taking a worm class to lean how to make fertilizer, to chefs pre-ordering vegetables from farmers to grow for future menu items, and farm-to-table dinners in which food is harvested, cooked and served on site. Bohlen added the business possibilities for farmers are

endless. “The farm-to-table experience is a big movement right now,” Bohlen said. “It’s a new way of thinking about tourism. I think it’s really going to take off.” The Economic Development Department is in the process of drafting a RFP to hire a consultant to develop an agritourism strategic

marketing plan. Once a plan is developed Visit Oceanside will market agritourism in conjunction with other city promotional efforts. Oceanside farmer Luke Girling attended a recent community meeting with fellow farmers and city TURN TO AGRITOURISM ON A15

Coastal Rail plan, fence proposal, panned by residents By Aaron Burgin

E NC I N I TA S — W h at started as a meeting to unveil the two alternatives for a coastal rail trail between Cardiff and Downtown Encinitas quickly spiraled into a debate over fencing that officials said is likely inevitable along the North County Transit District's railroad right of way.

Sponsored by

SANDAG officials have settled in on two alternatives for the 1.5-mile stretch, which would transform either Coast Highway 101 or San Elijo and Vulcan avenues into pedestrian and cyclist-friendly thoroughfares. Officials hope to have the project ready for federal and state environmental

review by mid-2016. Skeptics of the plan grew vocal when Encinitas City Councilwoman Lisa Shaffer, told the audience that the transit district, which owns the right of way, plans on erecting a fence along the stretch of San Elijo Avenue with or without the project, which SANDAG project manager

Chris Carterette and transit district chief planning officer Dahvia Lynch confirmed. Lynch said the plan for a fence line independent of the rail project is a longterm project the district is exploring but is currently unfunded and there are no TURN TO RAIL ON A15

RANCHO Short-term vacation rentals SFNEWS banned in half of.Carlsbad By Ellen Wright

CA R L SBA D — Cit y Council members denied short-term vacation rentals in more than half the city Tuesday night, after hearing robust public comments, largely in favor of an outright ban. Currently, rentals are not legal in the city but more than 400 operate using travel sites like VRBO and Airbnb and the city collected more than $330,000 in transient occupant tax on the rentals last fiscal year. Short-term vacation rentals will be allowed in the coastal zone, which makes up 37 percent of the city and extends east from the coast to roughly El Camino Real. The California Coastal Commission has fought other coastal cities in the past that tried to ban vacation rentals, which is why city staff recommended

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the approval of the coastal zone. The commission is in favor of the rentals because they increase coastal access for visitors and tourists. Councilmembers were given four options, ranging from a citywide allowance of the rentals to permitting them solely in the coastal zone. Staff recommended a citywide approval because it would be easier to regulate and punish property owners through permit revocation and daily fines. “It certainly is a lot harder to shut down an operator who’s not supposed to be there. It’s a lot harder to do that than to bring an operator into the program who’s allowed to be there,” said Assistant City Manager Gary Barberio. Mayor Pro Tem Keith TURN TO RENTALS ON A20


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