Cardiff gets last minute reprieve from 3-story condos; Leucadia, Old & New Encinitas not so lucky
Cardiff Town Council:
Thank you to all who came to the meeting last night and sent e-mails. A special thank you to all who spoke. The meeting went from 6 PM to midnight, and public speakers took up a good portion of that (2.5 hours, perhaps).
Bottom Line: Council (all members) were sympathetic to the concern about 3 story mixed use in Cardiff's commercial district, and limited the site (known as C-3, with 5 parcels) to two stories, and 30 feet. This is the current height limit, and also the Prop A limit. The map approved is the Sustainable Mixed Use Places map, which had the best EIR, particularly with respect to traffic.
Even though we asked the site be removed, and it was not, I think this is a good outcome. 3 stories in the heart of Cardiff would have been character redefining. The limitation to two story will mean fewer residences (than with 3 stories) and no adverse changes to views, bulk, and mass beyond what is allowed now.
[...]
No other site was changed.
Did anyone from Leucadia, New Encinitas, or Old Encinitas ask to have a site changed? What site? All I saw on the video was Cardiff people and Quail Gardens people. It was Quail, Quail, Quail, Cardiff, Cardiff, Cardiff. Plus some slow down and stop the madness speakers.
ReplyDeleteNot a soul from Leucadia, New, or Old Encinitas made a peep about only their neck of the woods.
DeleteAnd let's not forget: Lisa led the charge when she first saw the map with that property near her on Quail marked for upzone. Remember? "I'm not saying this just because I live there, but..." Riiiight.
The current Cardiff specific plan would allow 22 feet at 60% or 30 feet at 30%. This HEU is going to end up blocking a bunch of views because it's way more likely we will see 30 feet.
ReplyDeleteAlso the current Cardiff plan measures height from the lowest spot, this uses average. The city is going to allow the second story at 95% of the first. This is going to make a way larger view blocker and the second floor than the Cardiff Specific Plan. Furthermore all the view windows in the Cardiff specific plan and the well throughout look of downtown Cardiff is thrown out all without the citizen being able to participate.
Still pretty bad. We need to vote NO in November. It's unbelieveable the way city staff threw the Cardiff piece in without community involvement. Wow
Cardiff will always be represented as it has a huge activist community, including Donna Westbrook, Susan Turney, Bob Bonde, Jerry Sodomka, the Minsters, and the President of the Cardiff Town Council. If other communities envy what Cardiff got, then you should get more active in the City politics. It seems as if Cardiff wants something they get it. Is that a bad thing? Heck if I know. I think it's cool that they come out in full force. Other communities could learn from them.
ReplyDeleteHalf the people named above do not live in Cardiff. They just care about the entire city, go figure.
DeleteYou fools, ALL of these people you speak of Cardiff are retired with nothing but free time on their hands. New Encinitas is full of workiong families trying to survive and reset each evening. Cardiffians demonstrated that the rich ALWAYS get what they want and the working poorer are too busy working and talking care of young kids.
DeleteGood Point. Leucadia has a bunch of half baked retired hippies who can barely remember their home address sitting on their town council.
DeleteA good night for them is if they can actually find their way home without police assistance.
Forget their ability to even give a shit or speak on the most important issue facing the community. Cardiff town council kicked ass. Encinitas/Leucadia town council licks their own ass. No wonder the developers will be pillaging Leucadia. Blame the LTC.
Hymettus Estates ring a bell, 10:08? Jason St.? Running the mega church out of town? Hmmm?
DeleteFrom where do you hail, 10:08?
And correction for both 10:08 and 9:38: "all these people" spoken of are NOT from Cardiff; only half are. That was corrected by someone else above, or can't you two read?
PLEASE FOLKS: this finger pointing is playing right into the city's hands. Stop it. Pull together and stop the monstrosity.
DeleteFor the trolls trying to divide us: it won't work. You think it will, but it won't. Now knock if off, the rest of us don't want to pay your overtime.
Although the council did lower the Cardiff parcel to 30 ft., they did change the zoning from commercial to mixed use (residential/commercial). This will permit a developer to do a density bonus project, which can grant a maximum 35% increase in density. This means the R-30 zoning goes to R-41 (rounding up as the DB law requires). The DB law also grants concessions and waivers. These can be parking requirement reductions, smaller setbacks, or higher buildings. The builder only has to claim that the project doesn't pencil out without them. In other words the project isn't financial viable without the concessions and waivers. The city had required a financial pro forma, but the BIA and the David Meyer lawsuits have challenged the legality of this requirement.
ReplyDeleteLovely isn't it? Vote NO on the Housing Element Update.
That may have been part of the council's thinking: buy off Cardiff with a partial concession, dump the majority of high-density on Leucadia, Old Encinitas, and New Encinitas, and hope Cardiff and Olivenhain votes help this thing pass.
ReplyDelete8:38 PM
ReplyDeleteDid the council delete the additional 10 feet that can be added to the height? Did the council require that the 30 feet maximum height of the building would be recorded on the property title? If not the council promise is illusionary.
No they did not delete. If it said an additional 50 feet they would not have deleted.
Delete9:09,
DeleteIs any zoning rule recorded on your title?
Can you provide any example from anywhere in CA where zoning rules are logged as a deed restriction?
10:07 AM
DeleteThe city does it all the time with parcel and subdivision maps. The main restriction is no further subdividing of the property.
This change is worse, not still bad. Cardiff neighbors need to put the work in to understand this plan for themselves and not wait for others to explain things to them.
ReplyDeleteThis is too important not to fully inform oneself.
No might about it: the city has pulled the divide-and-conquer strategy repeatedly. Remember the infamous "dots exercise?" Epic fail.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible the Cardiff Town Council was in on hoodwinking Cardiff Residents? Mr. Rahul was on the citizens committed in 2007 that was handpicked by the city council that supported high density. During the citizens committee he did support high density, and eventually agreed with the citizens committee and residents who attended, which was a good thing. I was glad to see he got involved, but I disagree with his comment this is good for Cardiff. Up zoning seaside market and vg's will forever changed the community character, block views, reduce open space, increase traffic and increase pollution- none of that is good.
ReplyDeleteWould the city council seek to have planned all along to appear to throw Cardiff a bone to mislead the public by now gaining so call Cardiff Town Council support?
Vote no on the housing element. I don't want encinitas to look like Huntington Beach.
ReplyDeleteVote no on all incumbents. they are ill minded. Remember staff told them to oppose Prop A, yet it passed. They have no leadership ability only passive sheep.
Our council members are beholden to developer. Vote no on the Housing Element and vote out this council.
DeleteReviewing the first 30 minutes of the webcast - council members are beholden to law. Im sorry but their team did a good job. However - Law beholden to developer.
Delete"You're sorry?" And who might you be?
DeleteNo matter how much you/developers/staff jump up and down, residents are not beholden to an idiotic deal three council members made with the BIA.
Send in the judge. Please. We WANT a building moratorium until the city produces a reasonable plan. If it can.
All of our so-called legal experts (Mike, Manjeet and staff) all have jobs that they think are dependent upon endless growth. The row of consultants who they brought in to sit behind planners are paid to intimidate residents and work for their own best interests and not ours.
DeleteDalakranz is more beholden than any of the council since he actually has no other job prospects besides what he can get from developers. Our council needs to remember who elected them.
8:18 AM
Delete"Send in the judge" You and others have this fantasy that a judge will become a planner and decide what the housing element should be. Far from it. The judge will order the city to adopt a certifiable housing element within a certain time frame and remove any impediments (i.e. Prop A) to doing it. Legislation gives a judge to require as few as 120 days to adopt.
Council agenda for next week is online. Wait! There is no C-3 id for the Cardiff up zone property. The city is labeling it as #8. Very clever.
ReplyDeleteAren't the parcels flat? What is the average of zero and zero?
ReplyDeleteI feel ok. A majority of those that were there at the hearing from Cardiff are happy... But now you are saying that we are worse off???? How is the change worse???? I am so confused.
ReplyDeleteMy take-Not one community won, including Cardiff. But, I can see how it will be spinned. Flyers will go out telling us of impending doom for our city if we don't vote for this. And yet, Sacramento has never prosecuted a city for bot having an HEU in place. Your demons are David Meyer, Doug Harwood and the likes. Meyer, as you all know, is married to Lizbeth Ecke, and the Ecke family, once known for their civic pride, are behind closed doors, doing what they do. I guess it is like any "famous" family. The first generation of Ecke's gave us poinsettias, hid Japanese-Americans when we incarcerated so many in WW2, helped build out amazing YMCA. Now, we have the third generation of Ecke's. They take their poinsettia operation out of the U.S., Lizbeth marries David Meyer, and Paul, although a very nice person, seems a bit impotent when it comes to city politics. At least, let me say it differently, he does not speak out much for whatever he believes in. Family dynasties seem to be like that. It has happened with many families that were the original founders of our area. Catherine Blakespear, who is running for Mayor, comes from the Smith family, another original family. She was on vacation when the meeting was going on and teleconferenced it. I understand vacations, but when the biggest vote in a long time was up, she should have been there. I will not vote for her as Mayor, as she probably took the vacation so when she got back she could campaign. Since we could not see her, she did not see us. She probably voted at the end and had already made up her mind to go along with the others. That's not want I want in a Mayor or Council member.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Cardiff, there are rumors that they want to secede to Solana Beach and Solana Beach would love to have them. That would be interesting. Supposedly talks with some Cardiff leaders are happening with Solana Beach to see if they could do this. I doubt if Encinitas would care all that much as Cardiff is not a big revenue area for the city. The downtown is not large and since there are so many old people who have lived there forever, their property taxes are low. That would be interesting. Maybe that is why Council threw them a bone, I don't know.
If so, then solana beach would have to rezone more land....then they would put it in to Cardiff.
DeleteGood for Cardiff! I wish that the rest of us had an exit strategy! City parasites are killing their host!
DeleteWill Solana Beach provide Cardiff blanket immunity from state housing law? Will they roll Cardiff's share of our RHNA number onto other SB neighborhoods? If so, how would those other neighborhoods react?
Delete9:12 AM
DeleteWhile Blakespear dialed-in remotely, she did mention that she was following the proceedings on the internet. So you couldn't see her but she could see you just not in person.
Jim Bond used to say that too.....
DeleteIf you take the job, do the job.
DeleteDavid Meyer is the epitome of greed and arrogance. His ambition for personal wealth is the only motivating factor in his life. He doesn't give a damn about the community or the fellow citizens - only in getting his way thru hook or by crook. Wealth can turn some people into very hideous distortions of self importance.
DeleteRemember David Meier is in the Ecke family. Anything David Meier does is being pushed by the Eckie spoiled brats.
DeleteIf the eckes loved Encinitas they would rain in this little shithead
The City should be restrained from using any tax payer sourced funds to promote their "housing plan". Since the plan is opposed by a segment of the population, their interests are not served with a partisan use of public funds. Let the developers fund the campaign for its passage - that is whose interests are being served.
ReplyDeleteI discussed this with city staff. They stated that once the ballot language including arguments are finalized they are not allowed to promote. They are allowed to answer questions.
DeleteThey will, however, quietly engage an opposition group to do their dirty work. Remember the "No on A" propagandists?
DeleteWhen have Encinitas Planning staff ever answered questions accurately?
DeleteI am sick of excuses like, "we'll get sued," or "planners have their hands tied and are only trying to keep their jobs."
Another popular comment from staff, "Ooops! We made a mistake" All of their "mistakes" favor them and never us. Those are some odds!
Delete7:13,
ReplyDeleteThey don't want the plan to get better. Because every time it's improved, it flips no votes to yes votes.
They want the plan to be as bad as possible to imporve the chances of a no vote. They view the removal of the Prop A override language as a bad thing.
Welcome to Upsidedowncinitas, CA.
Up zoning is being done to allow a larger tax base to continue the outrageous salaries and pensions at city hall. VOTE NO!!
ReplyDeleteThe pension deficit is probably approaching $40 million by now. Working for a small town allows a retired worker to live lavishly on a bloated pension - Muir receives about $18,000/month! How many of the citizens of this town pull that down working an active job? Pension reform by referendum is the only way to stop this abuse.
Delete$17,000 of that goes to buy food.
DeleteI guess it is a necessity then.
DeleteThe comparison of City staff to ticks on a dog may have worked when Encinitas first incorporated. Now that their numbers, pay and pensions have increased, the comparison is more like tapeworms in a stomach.
DeleteIf Encinitas ever hosts a Shakespear Festival, guess who'd play Henry VIII?
ReplyDeleteThere was an interesting event that happened at the council meeting close to 11:00 pm. Gaspar stated that she wanted to wait and come back next week to make a decision. Immediately after her statement, she announced that the city manager wanted to take a break, so Gaspar obliged.
ReplyDeleteAfter the break, Gaspar did an about face and decided that the issue should be voted upon now.
One only knows what was discussed on that break. I wonder if the city manager saw it all unraveling and decided to step in.
In any case, it looked a little fishy.
The city manager better watch it. She may be on her way out if she tries to sell out the citizens and promote density in our beautiful beach town .
DeleteIf she does that she should go be city manager for Huntington Beach or Pacific beach .
Are you serious?? She was hired by the council to pass the monstrousity. She's not acting alone and she's certainly no Viba leading the charge and pushing the "vision."
DeleteBlame's squarely on the five stooges.
Vina, not Viba.
DeleteThe new City Manager is obviously not going to rock the boat. She is aligning with those who she thinks will keep her around - and those are the goons of the monied special interests.
DeleteThe city manager want's her $250K salary protected and more than that her $250K per year pension protected. She is a tool of the council and staff to do those things that increase salaries and pensions.
DeleteDo you think they would hire someone who would refuse to carry out their wishes?
DeletePension reform by initiative referendum is the ONLY way there will be pension reform. No one in city government will ever do that, as it is like asking the swine at the trough to back off when it is filled with swill - they are more likely to take your arm off!
Delete7:13, to answer your question: the lot the city took down to two stories is still an upzone from commercial to mixed use. The mixed use opens the door to density bonus, so you'll get a ton more humans and cars streaming off and onto that property than you'd ever have if it had stayed commercial.
ReplyDeleteThe city counts on residents not figuring these things out...silly council.
I love the Orwellian Ultimatum quoted in The Coast News by a kool aid drinker on our Environmental Commission: "I know it's not perfect, but the perfect is the enemy of the good". Wow, that's right up there with the Nazis saying "Work will set you free".
ReplyDeleteSee especially this "by-right" reference:
ReplyDelete"He said being able to build "by-right" — meaning with a greatly reduced review process — would incentivize him as developer to build more, faster."
in this article:
http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/06/15/61693/5-things-to-know-about-governor-brown-s-proposed-h/
This is text from numbered page 11 of our approved HEU plan:
"This rezoning program will result in the rezoning of 101.53 net acres of land, creating an opportunity for at least 1,987 units that are allowed by-right during the planning period pursuant to Section 65583.2."
This is text from searched page 49 of our approved HEU plan; the underlining means it was added for the final draft:
"Notwithstanding the mid-point reference above, future development in the At Home in Encinitas (AHE) Zone is regulated by Chapter 30.36 of the Zoning Code, which allows a maximum density “by-right."
If "by-right" means the same thing in the state doc as it means in our HEU, staff has sneaked in and council has passed a way to bypass laws and ordinances (CEQA?, Prop A?) that hinder development.
They vote no in November. By right goes into effect only if the thing passes.
DeleteIt has to go beyond your own single vote. You need to ask everyone you know to vote NO. No means that citizens get to maintain control through Prop A. Yes means that developers, staff, and council can decide to put high density projects in YOUR neighborhood with fewer protections than we have even now. Vote no and join us in helping your friends and neighbor protect their own quality of life.
DeleteFrom the beginning staff made it clear, with no objections from the council, that the EIR for the HEU would cover all the parcels for upzoning on the maps, thus not requiring an EIR when a project is proposed. The project, no matter how bad, will sail through the approval process with no environmental review and no mitigation. Think about traffic and parking on Highway 101 in Leucadia.
DeleteThere's an easy solution. Vote NO in November.
I'm voting no in No vember.
ReplyDeleteI No vember is when citizens will vote no on making encinitas like Pacific Beach.