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T he C oast News
AUG. 5, 2022
Carlsbad advances plans for Veterans Park By Steve Puterski
A STREET view of 4665 North River Road in Oceanside. The property, once classified as “light industrial,” is now a medium-density residential zone. Screenshot/Google
Oceanside rezones land for Tierra Norte Planners help clear the way for up to 400 homes By Samantha Nelson
OCEANSIDE — Nearly 26 acres of land along North River Road has been rezoned to make way for up to 400 future homes in a yet-to-be-determined development project. The Oceanside Planning Commission unanimously approved amendments to change two adjacent parcels of land at 4617 and 4665 North River Road from light industrial to medium-density residential and to establish a Planned Block Development (PBD) Overlay District, which is “intended to permit flexibility in landuse regulations and site development standards” for future developments. The project, referred to as Tierra Norte, is located on the south side of North River Road between Avenida Descanso and Calle Montecito in the North Valley Neighborhood Planning Area. Dan Niebaum, vice president of The Lightfoot Planning Group, represented the property owners SoCal AG Properties and Nagata Brothers on July 25 in front of commissioners “This is an opportunity to repurpose this underutilized infill site to provide realistic, future housing options for the community,” Niebaum said. According to Niebaum, it’s “highly unlikely” another industrial project would be successful at the site, which has been historically used for agricultural packing and growing crops. Niebaum also said the residential use would synchronize better with the other surrounding residential uses, ranging from low to higher densities than the site proposes. Sergio Madera, the city planner overseeing the project, said a residential project value would be much higher at $181.28 million compared to a $98.05 million industrial project value. Madera also said the city’s revenue benefits would be higher at
$15.3 million with a residential project compared to $2.2 million from an industrial project. “(Industrial is) not the best use of the site,” Madera said. While the density change means Tierra Norte could have up to 500 units, the PBD Overlay limits it to 400. “You could experience much higher development in the area,” Niebaum said. Still, the language in Planned Block Development Overlay doesn’t prevent a future developer from invoking the state’s Density Bonus Law to build even more units there.“That’s a possibility that could occur,” Madera said. “Nothing in the law would preclude that.” What the PBD can do is serve as a reference point for developers and city officials to make new and existing developments compatible, encourage “high-quality design elements,” and allow for different designs and architectural styles, Several nearby site residents voiced their concerns and opposition to the change, citing existing problems with traffic congestion and parking in the area. “Our area is hardly able to support the existing density,” said Michael White, a resident of the Rancho Pacifica neighborhood. “The development’s proposed density is a great concern to us.” White highlighted the area’s “extreme” traffic gridlock during peak hours between Douglas Drive and College Boulevard, the challenge of evacuations during the Lilac Fire in 2017 and surrounding neighborhoods overwhelmed with overflow parking. “Four hundred additional homes on a 25.6-acre site can only exacerbate that situation,” White said. Both Madera and Niebaum emphasized there is no development project being proposed at this time, only a change in zoning and land use laws to allow for future development. Madera said the city would know more about what mitigation efforts for traffic, parking and emergency exits must be taken once a project is underway.
CARLSBAD — A proposed 93-acre park dedicated to American service members cleared an essential hurdle on July 26 after the Carlsbad City Council approved a final master plan and development permits for the long-awaited project. Veterans Memorial Park, which consists of nearly 100 acres of open space off Cannon Road along Faraday Avenue, will feature approximately 60 acres of preserve and roughly 40 acres of parkland. The sprawling park includes a memorial plaza, three playgrounds, two bike tracks, outdoor exercise and picnic areas, trails and public art, among other features. According to the city’s park performance standards, each of the city’s quadrants will have a surplus of at least 14 acres of park space. Kyle Lancaster, Carlsbad’s director of Parks and Recreation, said the city also has 80 acres of park projects in the pipeline, “Veterans Memorial Park will serve a regional need,” Lancaster said. Lancaster said the next step is to prepare the bid with an estimated project cost of $30.2 million funded by the Community Facilities District No. 1, a citywide district created in 1991 to pay for facilities, improvements and highway interchanges. The district levied a one-time special tax lien on vacant properties to help finance the development. Veterans Memorial Park, expected to be completed by 2025, is dedicated to service members, including a plaza with commemorative plaques, memorial panels and a flagpole to honor those who served in the U.S. armed forces. The project was conceived in 1986 as a centralized park for all residents to use, Lancaster said. Suzie Murphy, executive director of the San Diego Mountain Biking Association, and Ben Stone, trails coordinator for the organization, said the park, especially its bike tracks, is a welcome addition to the city and North County. Murphy said a stateof-the-art facility would be a big draw for the cycling group’s more than 300 Carlsbad residents. Currently, riders interested in visiting a bike park must travel south to San Diego or even further southeast to Sweetwater Summit Regional Park in Bonita. “I stood here eight years ago talking about bike parks and advocating,” Stone said. “The message is still the same. We are very much in favor of this bike park. We’ve given a lot of input and encouraged our members who live in Carlsbad to be part of this process.” However, there was
THE CARLSBAD City Council on July 26 approved the master plan and several permits for the Veterans Memorial Park. The 93-acre park, dedicated to U.S. service members, will feature bike tracks, playgrounds, outdoor exercise equipment, picnic areas, walking trails, and more. Courtesy rendering
some pushback against moving forward with the development of Veterans Park. Diane Nygaard of Preserve Calavera said the park does not do enough to address climate change, citing inadequate vehicle miles traveled analysis, lack of easy access and no solar panels on structures. Nygaard also questioned the park’s allocation of acreage, arguing approximately half of the area is considered protected habitat and only the developed acres should be allotted for the city’s parkland.
Lancaster said other parks with adjacent preserves are counted toward the city’s park standards, a practice known as the joint allocation method that dates back to the 1990s. Examples of other parks using the joint allocation method include Leo Carrillo Ranch and Hidden Canyon parks. Councilwoman Teresa Acosta, who represents the city’s southernmost district, said she wasn’t interested in building another park in northern Carlsbad, some of which include Magee, Holiday, Pine Avenue
and Buena Vista parks. However, Acosta, who has previously voiced support for a controversial “Ponto Park” proposal in her district, eventually conceded that plans for Veterans Memorial Park should move forward. “There have been some changes in thought on our development of our city when it comes to parks,” Acosta said. “This community is one that loves parks and neighborhood parks that we don’t have to drive to. For now, I’m very excited about Veterans Memorial Park.”
