The Council was presented with new proposals for the ever-changing plans for the desalination plant at the Encina Power Station. As construction draws near, new areas for improvement have been noticed; plans call for changing the building orientation and moving pipelines. Otherwise, most physical aspects of the original plan were maintained.

The Council approved the areas for improvement, but they were challenged by representatives from Coast Law Group who say that changes cannot be improved without another environmental impact study. The proposed changes in pipelines will be in areas that have not been reviewed from an environmental point of view and will also severely interrup traffic during the construction time.

The Council also addressed another controversial issue, the La Costa Town Square Development. The issue has been brought before the Council many times and has been discussed because of the density of the location and the possibility of a “big box” store being part of the development.

The City Attorney assured the Council and audience that the newe provisions have explicity prohibited any large corporate chains from moving into the La Costa Town Square developoment. The provisions will not allow stores with more than 30,000 items in stock to move into the areas. This will prevent a store the size of a Wal-Mart from being part of the development.

There will be German singing and dancing, bands, and a beer garden. Thousands of people are expected to attend, and there will be over 200 booths with local merchants and institutions represented. Amusement park rides will be available.

Present at the event will be a major sponsor, “Big” John Haedrich of the widely known European deli Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad. Also present will be the major founder of the Encinitas Oktoberfest, Edgar Engert.

There will be lots of fun, food, and entertainment for the whole family, so come to Encinitas Oktoberfest!

Among innovative improvements in the works in Carlsbad is the new desalinization plant being started to supply water to the city. There are plans for solar and hydroelectric powered energy production. Residents have donated thousands of hours of volunteer time in local projects. There is a lot of cooperation and teamwork going on in Carlsbad!

The Transit Board will consider the proposal for cutbacks at their meeting in Oceanside next Tuesday, Sept. 1st. The Board of Directors will vote on the route recommendations on September 17th.

The District managers are proposing to reduce weekday or weekend service on some routes and modifying other routes. North County Transit has already made layoffs, raised fares, and is looking into outsourcing some bus operations. The same agency also runs the Sprinter light-rail system operating out of Oceanside.

Stay tuned for the outcome of these proposals. The changes would be implemented in January and would affect routes in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, and other cities in North County.

The proposed project will consist of a 284,000-square-foot shopping center, two office buildings totaling 55,000 square feet, and 64 single-family homes. A 128-unit multifamily housing complex would be on the northwest corner.

The most controversial piece of the project is a 98,000 sq. ft. two-story retail building. Some residents characterize this retail space as a “big box” and are afraid it would attract a store such as Walmart. Other Carlsbad residents opposed rezoning the northwest corner for high-density housing, saying it’s inappropriate to place 128 units on 10 acres next to a neighborhood of single-family homes. Carlsbad officials say that these multifamily units were added to meet state requirements for higher-density housing.

Stay tuned for more developments on this new Carlsbad project!

Residents of the La Costa Glen retirement community are resisting the project on the grounds of greed by the developers and because of environmental concerns.

The Batiquitos Bluffs project in Carlsbad has 19 homes on a 10-acre site on the southwest corner of La Costa Avenue and El Camino Real. No plans for home construction have yet been submitted for review for the Planning Department.  A Carlsbad Senior City Planner says that the project will only impact a very small area of the entire wetland, only approximately .04 acres. The Senior Planner says that the proposed plan is acceptable based on the allowable zoning in the area.

As part of a state law, the developer is required to set aside open space in return for using the wetlands parcel in order to lessen any effects on the habitat. The location of the set-aside land will be determined later.

This is good news for Carlsbad residents because it is a sign that builders are back developing new areas again. Carlsbad continues to be a vibrant, energetic area in which to live.