Dear Mayor Gaspar and Councilmembers Blakespear, Krantz, Muir, and Shaffer,
I am writing to you regarding the inclusion of "Site C-3" (several parcels in Cardiff's Commercial District) in the Sustainable Mixed Use Plan (SMUP), also called Environmentally Superior Alternative. This plan removes 7 sites from and adds a SINGLE site to council's Modified Mixed Uses Places (MMUP) plan. Removing net 400-500 (going from approximately 2400 to 1987) units obviously seems like a superior alternative.
I suggest an Even More Environmentally Superior Alternative - Remove the SINGLED out Cardiff Commercial District from the plan. Why should this site receive special treatment?
1. This is the ONLY site added by staff in creating the SMUP (see below e-mail).
2. The inclusion of this site is NOT DEMOCRATIC. All the other sites on the SMUP came from the MMUP, which is more democratic in nature, because it was based on multiple engagement exercises with the community. This site could have been put on the map by a single person on city staff. Not democratic.
3. The people of Cardiff (and greater Encinitas) never got a chance to weigh in on this site, since this site has not been on suggested on many of the other maps. This seems like an END-RUN, more so since one of parcel comments states, "Developer Interest."
4. This is a massive change to the DEMOCRATICALLY DERIVED CARDIFF SPECIFIC PLAN. Hence, likely not the preferred place for density in Cardiff.
What is problematic about changing the zoning of this site to Cardiff?
1. The Cardiff Commercial District sits at the intersection of two one lane roads in the heart of our community. This is not highway 101. This is a sleepy beach town. One of the LAST PRESERVED BEACH TOWNS on the California coast. Increasing the bulk and mass, changes Cardiff forever.
2. The people of Cardiff value public and private views. The natural slope allows everyone to have at least a peek. Three story mixed use is not like 3 story residential. This new zoning will allow 38 feet of height, with allowances on the roof top for air conditioner heat exchange (loud) and such. The current heights in Cardiff are 12 feet and 22 feet, depending on grade, with 4 feet for roofline. At 38 feet, this property is being zoned to be HIGHER THAN PACIFIC STATION. This will adversely affect views.
3. Traffic is already problematic in this area due to the Chesterfield crossing and narrow lanes on Birmingham. Any INCREASE IN TRAFFIC, as the 200 residents from the 100 allowed units travel to and from work, at the same time people come for grocery shopping or to restaurants and bars, will be untenable.
4. This is a massive change to our community for 67 HCD units that are not really needed. The SMUP has 1987 units, whereas the city needs 1093 units (possibly 1286).
What can you do now that EIRs, etc. have been done?
1. If Council agrees with the above reasoning (or other rationale), please remove the Cardiff Commercial District from the HEU.
2. It has been said that staff's view is that once various bureaucratic processes are completed, it is difficult to adjust things in a timely fashion. Sometimes you have to just say no, and send people back to think more imaginatively, to innovate, and to improvise. This is what leaders demand. You can tell staff this is what you want to do. You can put this plan on the ballot, get the public vote, and then fix the bureaucratic elements. We rely on your leadership here.
3. It has been said the EIR would change if you remove the Cardiff site. This does not make a lot of sense. Under the proposed change the property owner would have the right to keep the property as is, build with current zoning, or build with the proposed upzoning. Therefore, the EIR should already account for the Cardiff Commercial District retaining current zoning.
I am submitting this respectfully, and am open to any further dialog that may assist you.
Best Regards,
Rahul Deshpande
President
Cardiff by the Sea Town Council
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Cardiff Town Council protests high-density switcheroo on tonight's agenda
Cardiff Town Council:
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Not happy with the Cardiff Town Council. They can make good arguments against this without calling the public engagement democratic. The process was propaganda, manipulation, and empty. It was compulsory and the city was only happy to do it because they could use the opportunity to manipulate the public. Dissent was contained and that's not democratic. It is just like dissent from Cardiff was contained by dropping this LONG PLANNED upzone in at the last minute. What do you think happens in all the closed door meetings that the public is kept from watching? You should not believe that council didn't plan this surprise long ago.
ReplyDeleteThis is it! Tonight is the night. Tell the Council to drop the Cardiff site from the Map; or else. Tell Catherine and Tony; or else! Tonight!
ReplyDeleteShould be "or else" citywide - Carduff is not the only abused part of town. Come on, Cardiff! Include the rest of us in your outrage!
DeleteFlaming torches and pitch forks....
ReplyDeleteNIMBY NIMBY!
ReplyDeleteScrew the rest of the town. Just focus on the one site that's closest to my house. Put it over there by those people instead, because they are a mile away, and I don't know them.
Just as Lisa did when she first saw the maps....
Delete10:19- Cardiff is an active community. That does not mean other communities within the City cannot do the same. Don't blame one community because of their own activism. We organize, strategize, suit up and show up. Other communities can do the same, as did Olevenhain, when Desert Rose was on the forefront. Don't forget Prop A. is the law of all of Encinitas. If Council tries to overturn that law without a vote of the people, it will not hold up in court. They know that, and that is why they are trying to pit each community against another. I suggest we are all in this together. No Nimbyism, just wanting to keep the city safe from developers.
ReplyDeleteDo not believe our Planning dept., or for that matter, our council either, for a second. They promised to remove anything that tried to get around Prop A's protections. Don't believe any of them for a second.
ReplyDeleteThe Planning Director Manjeet has a provision in the HEU that will give him unlimited power to approve projects without council, without the planning commission, and most importantly, without public vetting.
Tonight should not be missed by anyone who cares about the future of our community.
Tonight should not be missed by anyone who cares about having a say over developers in the future.
10:19am is a shill and misses the point, which is typical. Every neighborhood should be outraged and band together citywide. This urbanization scheme can show up next door to you too.
There is not one council member that has shown any attempt to represent the citizens with this plan.
There is not one candidate running for council that has shown any inclination to represent the citizenry in this urbanization of our town.
It is time for us all to unite and take back our town. We need more than the few active usual suspect groups that show up defending the rest of us almost every week.
A litmus test for all candidates should start with fighting for all your worth for Prop A.
A litmus test should follow with cleaning out a compromised planning dept starting from the top down.
On and on.........please feel free to fill in the many blanks that were left out. This will be a long list in the making.
And while you're at city hall, please enjoy the port-a-pottie in the parking lot that's been there for a month. On, you need to punch in a code to use it! You mean to tell me that staff can't fix a toilet in one month? Also, if the city hall doors are closed, the automatic disabled button doesn't work, either. Our tax dollars at work!!
ReplyDelete11:24- Are you serious? If so, have you written a letter to the city about this? If not, will check it out and wrote one myself.
ReplyDeleteThis council needs to start listening to the people they represent. No one wants to have increased buildings and traffic in their area.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of Encinitas should do what Cardiff is doing. Maybe then this idiotic bunch of five will know that we are serious.
Better yet, vote them all out of office.
Even better, vote NO on the HEU
Where is the anti HEU from LTC???
ReplyDeleteLeucadians do not want heigh density anymore than Cardiff, if you remove this site remove all the high density along NC Hwy. 101.
Council- we are watching don't dump more section 8 housing and high density in Leucadia over Cardiff!!
Cardiff is special. Every other place in town is not. Cardiff got the CRT moved, they can get out of providing their share of the HCD ransom. Is this HEU the only way or do we need to destroy the town in order to save it?
Delete1:55
DeleteLooks like Cardiff is special enough to organize and become effective. What did you do? bitching and moaning on here counts for nothing BTW.
10:32, how do you know what 1:55 did or did not do? I spoke last night and am annoyed at Cardiff, too. You're the real whiner here. Unless you want to tell us what you did?
Delete1:42pm The answer about the LTC is right before your eyes. Check their new board members for, among others, William Morrision, the head pusher of streetscam and a to be candidate for city council this year. Ain't life wonderful?
ReplyDeleteLTC is in favor of the HEU passing successfully the vote this year. One thing is, they are not being paid by the city like the mainstreet organziations that are all initially funded by our taxes. The difference between them, politically speaking, is indistinguishable.
Any expectations that they will support this community's efforts to stem the urbanization scheme by the city planning dept and our council and the mainstreet groups, is a pipe dream.
Show up. Let your voice be heard, and if not, at least add to the numbers of those who care enough to show up. We welcome all, to pack the hall. Defend our town from being taken down. Almost poetic,eh? Please add any lines you can come up with and keep the thought going.
Is Leechtag promoting depravity of our children?
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/0yLbF0BtZs4
So...assume the City will plow ahead full speed, but tonight's item should NOT BE HEARD this evening. "Staff" posted a 171-page updated agenda report full of additions and deletions.
ReplyDeleteThat is a violation of the Brown Act that requires 72-hour notice of new information before a regularly-scheduled meeting.
They just can't help themselves, can they?? Assume the city will have the usual nonsensical excuses at the ready to spin this. Assume the Council will adopt whatever "staff" puts in front of them. Because, you know - staff are the experts!
Brown Act is State Law. State laws don't apply here.
DeleteFYI: The LTC is "Leucadia Town Council". The Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Ass. is the group Morrison was involved in. They get money from the city. The LTC does not.
ReplyDeleteFYI 9:22am: Morrison is listed as a new board member on the LTC. It was mentioned previously that the mainstreet streetscam group gets money from the city. LTC does not, as was previously stated.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I suppose, for confirming the previously stated facts. It appears the news to you is that Morrison is now part of the LTC. Welcome to the present.
Kranz was also on LTC. He said he was going to resign, if elected to Council, but when there was a public forum sponsored by LTC, held at the library, there was Tony, voting with the rest of the members. People from Leucadia who came, and signed up, were not allowed to vote. "New members" didn't have the standing to vote.
ReplyDeleteLTC is being controlled/influenced and manipulated by L101MA. Sad, but true.