Hi WC,Wouldn't a well-managed city be addressing traffic and parking infrastructure before approving high-density upzoning? Why is the Housing Element being addressed as a standalone rather than integrated with traffic circulation and parking?
A friend saw this article in the SD Reader about high-density development and the lack of adequate associated parking.
As we know from existing and proposed high-density projects here in Encinitas, the City likes to keep the developer safe from any responsibility for increased traffic impacts from the overly dense construction. This tendency will surely continue if the Housing Element Update goes through, only this time to the tune of 1,300 densely-built units. Note that in all the cutesy, folksy, "visioning" artist's renderings of the upzoning the City wants to shove down our throats, cars are oddly absent from the images....
This comment from the Reader article struck me:
"...these residential developments are all less than ten years old; it should have been safe for the new residents to assume that the issue of adequate parking was addressed before construction was allowed to proceed (bold emphasis mine)."
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Where are the plans for parking in the council's new high-density utopia?
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The Planning Departments visuals for proposed housing projects for Cardiff showed houses with parking lots that were partially empty and no traffic. The visuals that they are using don't represent crowded conditions that are in place now. How easy is it to find parking in Cardiff, even without this proposed development? How will adding between 100 and 200 more units help this situation when it is already at breaking point in many Cardiff neighborhoods?
ReplyDelete"Wouldn't a well-managed city be addressing traffic and parking infrastructure before approving high-density upzoning?"
ReplyDelete- Isn't it a chicken and egg sort of thing? There is only so much a city can ask of a developer when it comes to infrastructure. The larger the project, the more improvements the city can request. So if a particular street is planned to be upzoned on a parcel by parcel basis, does the city add infrastructure improvements in anticipation of the upzoning? Or does it ask the respective developers for a prorata cash payment to pay for the improvements, and build it later? Maybe meet half way and put in the improvements at the 50% mark and finance the rest? A further constraint is the developer is entitled to move ahead on his project if he's within the 4 corners of his property rights - the city can't unduly delay him. In Cardiff's case, other than requiring that each domicile include space for 1 or 2 off street parking, what's the solution? Build an underground parking garage under VG's? As a previous poster commented, if you can't push out, you have to go up or down!
- The Sculpin
Requiring underground parking would be a good start. At least 2 spaces per unit.
DeleteBut then what about traffic? The city is proposing lots of high-density along Encinitas Boulevard, which is already one of the most congested streets. Without serious infrastructure improvement, the Housing Element is certain to violate the traffic Level of Service standards in the General Plan.
Requiring underground parking for an all affordable project would be too expensive. Pacific Station has underground parking because only some of the units are affordable.
DeleteThink its more of a cart and horse thing. Or rather, cart and house.
DeleteThere is underground parking at Wine Steals on San Elijo in Cardiff. Yet there is a big parking problem on surrounding surface streets.
DeleteResidents need to understand that the increased density the city is requesting under state mandates will bring bigger traffic problems, especially on the main roads giving access to I-5 during busy times. Will the money be available to improve the infrastructure? Unlikely. It will go to pension obligations and staff raises first, and everyone in San Diego County will be fighting for Transnet funds.
The underground parking at Wine Steals is a sharing arrangement between the offices above and Wine Steals. The assumption is the offices will require the parking between 8-5 and Wine Steals will require it afterwards. More parking spaces would be required if they were required to handle both at the same time.
DeleteI disagree with this approach that we have to look at affordability from the point of view of the developer but not from the point of view of the taxpayer. It seems that developers want to place the burden on the taxpayer while assuring their own safe return, all in the name of providing housing, or "the opportunity for low-income housing." This means that the high density/market rate units are what they are going for with no obligation for providing low-income. How is that a good deal for anyone but the builders and the city staff who want to secure their ongoing employment and their pensions?
ReplyDelete10:10- Watch out or Marco will call you a racist.
ReplyDeleteE street cafe had ZERO off street parking.
ReplyDeleteEvery retail, restaurant and other business on 101 in Leucadia has inadequate parking, with the exception of the post office and Just Peachy. People from that new French Café park at the post office and in front of Bamboo 2 U and that strip.
ReplyDeleteThe eternal question is "Where is the Parking"?
Pandora took away a parking place.... Apparently they have too much parking.
DeleteKeno's has good parking as do Public Priority House, Robertos, former Dos Palmas, Leucadia Beach Inn, Rodeway Inn, Garden Inn, Econo Lodge, and several others. But you're right about too much inadequate parking and anyone's plan to increase density ANYWHERE that's already hurting for parking. We're lucky to have Tony working for us on NCTD encouraging the railroad to continue to allow parking on the railroad right of way. Nice NCTD has provided safer parking for N Vulcan residents as well recently.
DeleteDammit, look at the parking fiasco at the new Starbucks at Opheus. They cannot even rent out the last shop because parking was NOT adequately planned for. IDIOTS!
ReplyDeletePipes has no off street parking yet NOW you question where the parking is to come from....
ReplyDeleteExcellent points WC, and looks like this issue is finally getting attention. Sure, they can TRY to encourage bicycles over cars but that isn't going to work. Eutopia 21.
ReplyDeleteThe condos/businesses at Phoebe St. are a perfect example of inadequate parking and loophole tricks to maximize density.
* 2 car garages being "tandem", where one of the cars is blocked inside the gargage linearly. Result: No HOA requiring garages to be used as garages in the real world ends up being storage areas for everything else and at best one car parked in the garage.
* If MORE affordable houseing is approved, the requirement for parking goes down, not up. An incentive for developers and hardship on not only the people living in the new project, but surrounding neighbors as well.
At Phoebe Street on a 200 x 80 ft lot they put eight 3 bedroom condos and 12 businesses below. Total public parking on the street: 7 cars. 8 tandem garages (16 car spaces) used by at the most 2 cars so far. 2 handicapped spaces in back and 6 residential parking spaces. Consciencious prospective buyers usually ask "Where am I supposed to park?" Is it any wonder half of the complexes went back to the bank that loaned them money to be built? In this case, the development was not only unfair to neighboring businesses and residents, but to the developers themselves. What a system.
*
Forgot to mention the developers were mentored every step of the way through the entire process by mr hardwood.
DeleteI think everyone should park their cars in front of every council member's home/condo, then head to Carlsbad and park in front of Vina's residence. After that, let's find where the developers live and park in their driveway. Then, let the city provide a shuttle to pick us all up to get where we need to go or should we walk, ride our bikes, or hitchhike?
DeleteDecisions, decisions.
"Wouldn't a well-managed city be addressing traffic and parking infrastructure before approving high-density up-zoning?
ReplyDeleteSure, and wouldn't you like to know what your future children would look like with a prospective spouse? Of course, but the city has to collect your opinion, first: and, traditionally, you have to be committed/married to raise a family.
When I read half-baked inquiries like the Subject above, I wonder how America ever helped win WW1 and WW2, put a man on the moon and cured polio: there are several purposes at work here in the housing-element outreach workshops, but instead of pooling all the talent locally..?
The minimal-specific goal of @Home in Encinitas is to create a housing-element that will be accepted by the State. Out of 18 incorporated cities in our county, ONLY Encinitas lacks a housing-element. We could speculate on a variety of underlying reasons, but the presenting complaint of the residents is: we don't want none.
You'll NEVER learn what you don't want to know.
The START: Now, part environmentalist-dream and part construction industry wet-dream, AB32 and SB375, laws were passed to supposedly force workers into hives bordering the highways to reduce car produced exhaust/green-house gasses and liberal cities sold out to ICLEI and in Encinitas, Patrick Murphy and Chair of the General Plan Update search committee, Teresa Barth, claimed that by sending everyone a postcard stating that there was to be an updating of the General Plan/Housing Element, that had 2 tracks to follow: take private-property rights away from the residents who slave outside the city to pay for them: AND stuff it all on top of outdoor shopping centers inland. The GPAC signed off on it.
Then, everyone who had been consciously excluded by Patrick, Dianne and Mike S: people that actually understood that there is no nexus between the R-30 map the State wants and actually building everything, period, they took a second-shot at this h.e. as the ERAC.
Shaffer tried strenuously to become involved with the ERAC, but falling short, allowed the polarised minds of Cameron and her puppet Olivier to lie their asses off about what was actually happening. The cherry on the sundae was disgraced FPPC butt-boy Brucie conning poor Susan T. into signing on to pass Prop A that Brucie wrongly believed would disqualify ANY R-30 map for an approved h.e..
Brucie, much like Langager/Patrick Murphy using the h.e. to take power/rights from residents, Brucie used the ERAC for his own agrandizement and his lies about the ERAC to get his 2 candidates elected to the council: only to blow himself up by demanding Shaffer and Kranz do as he says when they finally saw though his lies about the city's plans to create an h.e. Instead of killing the h.e., all Brucie did was spread the misery out, rather than up.
ReplyDeleteProp A passes and a year later, the two hidden 'bossy' bosses, Brucie and Pammie can't get Tony and Catherine to do as they say and not as they do and voila! No more tana leaves for Sheila and Julie is back to complaining about the city steam-cleaning curbs around jungle gyms and, oh, yeah, Desert Rose, her only other campaign issue.
Now, TODAY, we find a city council without a single person who voted for the Climate Plan, hiring MIG, the original Ugly Baby that Gaspar and Mikey killed in 2011 and instead of actually participating in an admittedly byzantine on-line survey/community workshop program: everybody and their sister on this blog is falling over themselves to be the first to discover another NEW reason, or NEW person to decry in this 5.5 year process to create and submit an h.e..
No fan of Marco here, but the simple fact is, Encinitas isn't just in the top 10% of California cities that are nearly ALL lily-white: Encinitas is the top 10:meaning that if there are 1300 cities, Encinitas is Number 8 in lilly-whiteness: see the difference? So all you retired public safety officers can scream about Marco accusing the city of being racist: but if racism isn't the answer for the racial purity, what is? Price?
Price is exactly the reason the State mandates the R-30 map: so old rich entitled white people don't ruin the environment by making their drivers, nurses, podiatrists and housekeepers drive 40 miles to work to Encinitas in bumper to bumper traffic. Oh, the humanity!
Believe this: unlike Barth, Blakespear has a degree, a job history, a public service history, a law degree and so far, not even a whiff of the deep-seeded hatred and breath of retribution that warms Barth's diminutive heart each day.
Well said, 3:38
DeleteMost of the proposed R-30 on-line for review is along business corridors: don't want to have to dig up the 'Land of 10,000 Septic Tanks', talk about bein' full of it: in addition, as the American Family continues to shrink, both physically and financially, much of the 3/4 bedroom single-family Encinitas housing stock will either be turned into smaller more affordable units, (the average home's value, currently near $900K, the value will creep over a mil per soon), vast neighborhoods inhabited with maybe one widow or widower living in 2 to 3000 square-feet.
ReplyDeleteStark Reality/That is literally what the city is asking its citizens to recognize and offer an opinion about: what and where: once the desires of the residents is delivered to the council, THEN, Traffic Engineering will analyze the data and make recommendations. WC, don't you first choose your destination, then determine how to get there: what to spend?
Nobody wants more traffic or high-rises in Encinitas: not the staff, the council, the residents and/or the business-owners. Oh, don't forget those nasty out-of-town developers: like Tom Cousins. Yeah, the man who brought you Tim Baird, now wants to be in charge of the city. Who knew? Well, actually, a buncha folks.
The state housing authority requires an R-30 map: period, because of Teresa Barth, literally, millions have been flushed away, not to mention the $25 mil on PV and if anyone can find the gumption to battle residents over trying to build homes for those who serve the entitled, the state will underwrite much of what is identified in the current workshops with tax benefits, so apartments or condos are possibly available for working class people to actually live nearby their employment.
Poindexter Poisoning? Oh and finally, maybe the reason Encinitas doesn't have a housing-element, is that there are too many people who are over-educated and have too much talent to EVER let there be an approved h.e.; the leaders of 2 decades anti-anything group, Brucie, Pammy and Bonde just rolled snake-eyes on Nov. 4. and no longer have secret allies on the council. The funniest part of Mrs. Cameron calling for Mr. Vina to be removed, is since 1986, Sheila has called for all 6 of the city managers to be removed: in chronological order.
Listen to Brucie again, and choose NOT to go on-line and participate in @Home in Encinitas: one of the choices IS on-line is to reject everything: but this might be the last street car for Brucie/Pammy/Bonde: because the council will be using the data from this month to decide next month and the month-after on R-30 areas from ALL five communities: and if you chose NOT to participate, then you won't be taken seriously by the council, staff or your neighbors...Or even this blog.
Wouldn't a well-managed city be addressing traffic and parking infrastructure before approving high-density up-zoning? I gotta laugh at this.
Managing any city well is just as difficult as managing this blog. I'm sure it doesn't always go the way you want it to: and, let's face it, Encinitas has too many over-educated people with too much talent, too much time and a lifetime history of hating to be TOLD what to do.
Go ahead, don't participate: kill this attempt getting to a housing-element that can be approved: OR, play state-court roulette and let some fogie judge in Sacramento take over the decision-making about Planning in Encinitas.
Not planning any development myself, it might be amusing to watch Brucie and Pammy riding out of town to Del Mar on a rail as residents suddenly recognize that choosing not to follow the law, choosing not to participate, might diminish the city even more, if decisions on Planning are being made NOT by the dreaded out-of-town developers, but the very real out-of-town judges. Choose not to go onto@Home in Encinitas, and then sit back, sip some juleps and watch Gone With The Wind again. I might be out picking up tar and feathers for some former local leaders myself.
You mean the Pam who already lives in Del Mar and has for many years.
DeleteYou mean the Pam who when she was on the Encinitas council made the motion to adopt the council's ability to amend the general plan land use designations by a 4/5ths vote but recanted that action since she hadn't been on the council for years.
You mean the Pam who still mucks about in city politics even though as noted above has lived for years in Del Mar.
You mean the Pam whose husband appears to be ensconced in the Del Mar political scene but still comes here to accuse the Encinitas council of shady backroom deals.
With friends like that who needs enemies.
12:20, Yeah, why can't former mayors of Encinitas just leave us alone like Jerome, Jim, Lou, Dan, Chuck, Christy, Rick, etc. who throw in the towel and never show up at council meetings when they're not sitting on the dais? Oh yeah, guess its because they really still care about Encinitas. Go figure.
DeleteThanks for the rant Marco. Now, please go away.
ReplyDeleteVerbose One,
ReplyDeleteYou raise a lot of good points.
I think a lot of the distrust arises from Vina and the council's underhanded actions: Rutan & Tucker, Prop A ballot arguments, refusing to have an open and honest discussion of the merits of Prop A, refusing to propose an alternative to Prop A, Peak Democracy, Rossini Creek pollution and cover-up, Lew Edwards, Upzoning for Fun and Profit Party, etc.
If there wasn't all that history, I think a lot of people would be more open-minded about what the city proposes
Didn't Verbose.One get the memo about how Lisa, Tony &Teresa skewed online participation in another city posing as residents? Hide the marble should be the new Monopoly game with free online profiling.
DeletePark in the City Council's driveway.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is not that Encinitas has bad leadership, the problem is that it has NO leadership.
ReplyDeleteIf the city insists on plenty of parking, the fellers (and lady fellers) on this board will howl that it proves smart growth cannot decrease car miles.
ReplyDeleteIf the city allows reduced parking requirements, the fellers howl that there will be parking Armageddon.
Heads I win; tails you lose.
Any new high density development should have 1.4521765 parking spaces per unit. Each unit comes with one space included. If you need a second, you buy or lease the second one from the HOA separately.
It is the city leaders who are duplicitous.
Delete7:00, Yes, but the units fluctuate from 1 to 4 bedrooms. More bedrooms can equal more cars.
Delete1:05,
DeleteAgree. And when I become supreme generalissimo #1 dictator in a coup (oops, did I leak my plan?), I will impose a requirement that all R30 units with four or more bedrooms come with two parking spaces. Three or fewer bedroom units must include one parking space. The developer must also build 30% additional spaces, and lease or sell those spaces to residents who want more than their basic allotment.
Do not be afraid. I will be a benevolent dictator (pay no attention to the labor camps under construction).
Finally, someone with a plan!
Delete"Verbose one" = Mikey Andreen being paid by the letter, thus the diminutives at the end of each name he makes claims about. Someone or ones got nervous and let Mikey out of his cage.
ReplyDelete