The Carlsbad City Council will receive an update at its July 17 meeting on the Terramar Area Coastal Improvement Project, a project to improve safety, parking and traffic flow through the Terramar neighborhood and enhance the coastal bluff top area across from the power plant.
The meeting is an opportunity for staff to update the City Council on the current conceptual designs, how public feedback has been incorporated, the results of technical studies and to get input from the City Council. Staff will return to the City Council in late summer or early fall seeking City Council direction on the preferred roadway design alternative.
Meeting Details
Tuesday, July 17, 9 to 11 a.m.
City Hall, City Council Chamber
1200 Carlsbad Village Drive
Current Conceptual Designs
City staff has been fine tuning the conceptual designs for the Terramar Area Coastal Improvement Project, from just south of the power plant to Manzano Drive. The current conceptual designs include one design for the bluff top area and two design alternatives for the roadway.
The bluff top across from the power plant, which currently has pieces of the old roadway visible among winding dirt paths, would be improved to add intimate seating areas, fewer, well-defined trails and steps to the beach that would help prevent erosion. Based on public input on three bluff top options presented in November 2015, city staff created the current conceptual design which maintains the natural character of the bluff top while adding amenities like recycle/trash cans, drinking fountains and benches.
Both roadway design alternatives add new parking, new and widened sidewalks and bike lanes. The main difference is that one proposes roundabouts at Cannon Road and Cerezo Drive, and the other proposes traffic signals at those intersections.
After sharing the current roadway design alternatives with the public in November 2017, the city completed studies related to traffic, air quality, parking and noise. The studies showed the following:
Roundabout alternative
Better for noise and air quality
Creates fewer new parking spots
Safer overall for all modes of travel (vehicles, bikes and pedestrians)
Traffic signal alternative
Creates more new parking spaces
Safer than the existing conditions
The two roadway design alternatives are otherwise fairly comparable. See a comparison of roadway design alternatives.
What’s Next?
City Council selects preferred roadway alternative (roundabout or traffic signal alternative): By Fall 2018
The final design and environmental analysis will then be presented to the Planning Commission for approval.
This project requires Coastal Commission approval, which typically takes six to nine months.
Once we have all the necessary approvals and permits, we’ll put the project out to bid for final design and construction. The project already has funding allocated in the city budget.
What’s the bottom line? Making any changes along our coastline requires a lot of review and consideration- for good reason. If all goes according to plan, residents can expect to see construction begin fall 2020.
For More Information
For more information about the project, please visit the project webpage or contact the project manager, Jonathan Schauble at 760-602-2762 or jonathan.schauble@carlsbadca.gov.
