The City of Carlsbad will study the environmental impacts of potential new housing locations as part of an overall plan to meet the community’s housing needs, which is required under state law. Specifically, about every eight years, cities are provided with the number of homes needed to accommodate people of all income levels and stages of life, based on demographic data.
After getting input from the community, including people who own and live near properties that could be rezoned, the City Council decided to fully study two different map alternatives:
Map 1
Map 1 includes the 18 sites reviewed by the public in late 2021 with one change. One of the parcels within Site 4, at the northeast corner of El Camino Real and College Boulevard, was removed from the map because one of the property owners did not want the property rezoned to increase the density to the level considered. The two remaining parcels of Site 4 were included in both maps.
Map 2
This map removes the additional following sites from Map 1:
Site 3: Increasing the density allowed on vacant land already zoned for residential development at the southwest corner of El Camino Real and Chestnut Avenue.
Site 8, currently home to Cottage Row Carlsbad apartments, southeast of the Palomar Airport Road and Aviara Parkway intersection. This land would be rezoned to increase density.
Site 15: The site of a city public works yard at the corner of State and Oak streets in the Village.
This map would also increase density and number of housing units that could be considered on the properties at the Carlsbad Village and Poinsettia Coaster stations (Sites 14 and 17). The North County Transit District has expressed support for redeveloping these properties to allow for housing and transit parking, while maintaining the Coaster stations for transit.
Evaluating more than one map alternative requires additional funding, which was also approved Tuesday. Fully analyzing two map alternatives will provide the City Council and the community more options for determining the best sites, based on their environmental impacts. The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report should be ready for public review about this time next year.
In addition to choosing maps of potential housing locations, the City Council weighed in on a few other options. After discussing these options, the City Council decided to:
Not study an increase in the density and number of housing units that could be considered at the Shoppes at Carlsbad parking lot (Site 2). The location will still be evaluated for potential housing, just not at the highest density level.
Next steps
Remainder of 2022: Environmental review of potential housing sites
Early 2023: Release of Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for public review
Spring 2023: Public hearings to consider which map alternative to approve for land use and zoning changes
Background
In all, the city needs to rezone property to accommodate about 2,700 higher density housing units by April 2024 to meet state requirements.
More information
Feb. 15 City Council staff report
Public input report
Housing Plan Update project webpage
Map of 18 potential housing sites considered
Eric Lardy, Principal Planner, eric.lardy@carlsbadca.gov, 442-224-9595
