PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 32, N0. 7
FEB. 16, 2018
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
City OKs ‘granny flat’ .com ordinance By Aaron Burgin
THE
ENCINITAS — City Council has taken the VISTA first step toward adopting aNEWS set of rules that would regulate and make it easier to build so-called “granny flats.” Encinitas officials have been looking for ways to add to the city’s affordable housing stock, in an effort to comply with state law and regional housing mandates. Residents and city officials have pointed to accessory dwelling units as RANCHO a tool that will help the city SFNEWS meet the needs while not altering the community’s suburban character. The council unanimously approved the rules at its Feb. 14 meeting, which will allow for owners to build up to a 1,200-square-foot detached accessory dwelling unit (so long as the unit is not bigger than the main house) and — in a major shift — waives fees for homeowners, which could be as big as a $3,000 break. “I am so excited about this ordinance,” Mayor Catherine Blakespear said. “We are doing something real that will accomplish an actual result.” Council also directed staff to return with a so-called “permit ready” program, which would allow homeowners to bypass most of the Planning Department’s discretionary review process, which residents have complained is cumbersome and time-consuming, by selecting from pre-approved building and design plans. The council was especially enthusiastic about the fee waiver, which they said will give homeowners incentive to
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Whale Is Watching
Eric McIlroy got a photo of his surfing son, Finn McIlroy, who got a surprise visit from a migrating gray whale off Warm Water Jetty Beach at the southern end of Carlsbad State Beach on Feb. 9. Finn is an eighth-grader at Valley Middle School. Photo by Eric McIlroy
Same-sex family says Christian school discouraged application By Aaron Burgin
SOLANA BEACH — When Matt Bosse began looking for a middle school for his 10-year-old, Garrett, several friends told him to consider Santa Fe Christian Middle School, a school known for rigorous academics, proud athletics and a Bible-based curriculum. After all, they said, Garrett is a high-character, straight-A student at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School, an altar boy at his Episcopalian Church and plays competitive lacrosse. So it came as a surprise, Bosse said, when school admissions director Vicki O’Rourke discouraged him from applying because they weren’t the type of family that would be welcome at the school. The reason, Bosse said? Be-
cause Garrett has two fathers. Bosse’s spouse is Encinitas City Councilman Joe Mosca, who became the city’s first openly gay council member when he was appointed in 2017. Bosse and Mosca said they were “shocked” and “disappointed” by the school’s decision, which they called outdated. “It was the first time in our experience that we have faced that sort of discrimination,” Bosse said. “We respect SFC and their right to run the school, but in this day in age, it seems antiquated.” Mosca echoed Bosse’s sentiments. “When they told us that we weren’t invited to apply because we were two dads it was shock to us,” Mosca said. “Hopefully by Encinitas City Councilman Joe Mosca, left, with spouse Matt Bosse and their two TURN TO SCHOOL ON A7
boys, said it was “a shock to us” when Santa Fe Christian’s admissions director suggested the family wouldn’t be welcome at the private school. Courtesy photo
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