Remember to mark your calendar for Monday, Oct. 17, to give input on what environmental impacts should be evaluated in a study on potential properties that could be rezoned to accommodate future housing. A reminder that the city also extended the deadline to provide comments from Oct. 14 to Oct. 26.
Environmental Scoping Meeting
Oct. 17, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
City of Carlsbad
Faraday Administration Center
1635 Faraday Ave.
You can provide input via mail or email through Oct. 26 to:
Scott Donnell, Senior Planner
City of Carlsbad
Planning Division
1635 Faraday Ave.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Scott.Donnell@carlsbadca.gov
Next steps
After helping identify what environmental impacts should be evaluated, residents will have an opportunity to review and provide input on the draft report once it is developed. The supplemental environmental impact report will be presented to the City Council for consideration in 2023.
Background
The city is preparing a supplemental environmental impact report for its General Plan, approved in 2015. The report is required as part of the city’s Housing Element Update, a state-required plan approved in July 2021 for how Carlsbad will accommodate projected housing needs through 2029.
As part of a Housing Element Update, the state also requires all cities analyze and update portions of their Public Safety Element, a separate chapter of the General Plan that focuses on citywide topics including climate resiliency, wildfire hazards and evacuation routes. Updates proposed will respond to requirements of new state legislation related to these topics.
The city worked with the community last year to choose the potential sites, and the next step is to perform environmental studies. This analysis will help inform the final selection of sites.
Zoning changes
The city’s housing plan includes proposed changes to zoning that would allow more housing units on certain properties. This study will evaluate the environmental impacts of those changes, including how it might affect things like transportation, aesthetics and greenhouse gas emissions.
Housing program implementation
The housing plan also includes programs that require the city to make changes to housing standards, such as allowing additional types of housing and higher densities to meet state requirements. The environmental review will analyze the impacts of implementing some of these programs.
