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T he C oast News
Cocos fire may cost city $1 million By Aaron Burgin
SAN MARCOS — San Marcos will likely have to shell out $1 million to pay for its share of the cost to fight the Cocos fire, city officials said during Tuesday’s council meeting. The City Council voted, in connection with the approval of next year’s $100 million operating budget, to pay for the fire cost out of its anticipated $1.8 million surplus from the current fiscal year. “The budget addresses the anticipated worst case scenario of fire-related costs,” said City Manager Jack Griffin, who said the city should find out the exact amount it will have to pay later in the week. Officials originally said in late May that the cost to fight last month’s fire, which charred more than 2,000 acres, would be upwards of $10 million and that the city’s share of the cost could be as much as $2 million. City officials expect federal emergency funds will cover 75 percent of the total bill. Future costs, such as stabilizing fire-charred slopes and erosion control, could further eat into the city’s reserves, according to the budget report. “As the fire occurred in May and the risk of wildfires will grow through the summer and fall, keeping some flexibility in place makes fiscal sense,” the staff report stated. The Council unanimously approved the budget, which includes $63.7 million for general fund
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operations, about half of which will pay for the city’s contract with the Sheriff’s department and fire operations. City officials said personnel costs have dropped during the past few years due to city pension reform efforts and staff attrition. The budget calls for sales and property tax revenue to steadily climb from its recession level lows, though officials said they are forecasting a more conservative growth than the increases they’ve seen during the past year. Sales tax revenue grew nearly 7 percent from 2013 to 2014, but the budget is only forecasting a 2.75 percent growth next year. Griffin said the forecast takes into consideration uncertainty about the country’s economic turnaround. “We recognize we see mixed signals in economy,” he said, pointing to the 1-percent drop in the country’s gross domestic product during the first quarter. “We think that showing our baked-in costs and a very conservative look at revenues is the prudent way to approach the out years.” The council also approved a $25.5 million capital improvement budget, which includes major funding for the overhaul of the city’s creek district, including the Discovery Street widening and flood control improvements, the Via Vera Cruz Bridge and street improvements and the Creek District promenade.
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June 13, 2014
Residents like City Hall plans, offer ideas By Bianca Kaplanek
DEL MAR — Plans to replace the deteriorating, decades-old City Hall appear to be moving in the right direction, at least according to the approximately 40 people who attended a June 9 workshop. But when asked how the proposed facility could be improved, there was no shortage of recommendations. The conceptual complex includes a 9,250-square-foot City Hall with space for public counters, a lobby, conference rooms and indoor public restrooms, a luxury the existing facility lacks. The town hall would house the TV studio, community meeting rooms for up to 100 people, 51 parking spaces and a 15,000-squarefoot plaza, room enough for the farmers market, which most residents say must be accommodated. Everyone seemed to agree the proposed facility, similar in size to the existing City Hall complex except for the town hall, would meet the community’s needs. But most said it should have flexible meeting rooms and cultural space, such as a multiuse theater. Other recommended ways to improve the complex included increasing the seating capacity of the
Greg Rothnem summarizes his group’s discussion on three topics. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek
town hall, adding a café or coffee shop and ensuring it is built to scale. There was also a suggestion to increase the size of the City Hall. “Don’t go with the minimum,” Greg Rothnem said. “Plan for the future. If we’re going to do it, do it right.” When the topic turned to parking, there was nearly unanimous agreement that more is better. Nearly all said they
were very interested, as opposed to somewhat or not at all, in adding public parking at the site to reduce parking impacts in residential areas, provide more overall public stalls and help downtown businesses. Most said they would support 75 to 175 stalls in addition to the required 51 for the City Hall complex, even at an estimated cost of $5.1 million to $7.5 million. “Anything to increase the public parking compo-
nent is critical,” Bob Sonnhalter said. “We’ve got to get more public parking to induce people to come to this end of town,” Marty Peters added. More than half of the participants said additional parking on the site should be free. While there was a fair amount of consensus on the first two topics, opinions were all over the map when TURN TO CITY HALL ON A19
Garden may be on the right path to approval By Aaron Burgin
ENCINITAS —The proponents of a proposed community garden finally appear to have what they have wanted for five years — a path to approval. City planners laid out a process which would allow the nonprofit Community Garden Committee to gain the agriculture designation it has sought which would allow it to bypass at least some of the red tape it has encountered since 2009, when the council unanimously endorsed the garden plan. The process would begin at the planning commission, which would determine how the project should be treated under the city code. The City Council unani-
mously voted to have staff get the item on the planning commission’s agenda. Councilwoman Teresa Barth brought the item before the council Wednesday to see if the council and staff could find a way to fast-track approval of the proposed garden, which would be on a plot of land owned by the Encinitas Union School District. “I felt if we brought it to council and had a discussion with staff and the community garden group, we could figure out what stumbling blocks there have been in the process,” Barth said. “I’m not looking to blame anyone, I am looking to find solutions. “Hopefully we can get a clear understanding of what needs to be done to help the organization get its community garden up and running,” Barth said. Garden proponents and city staff have been at odds over how the proposal should be addressed under the municipal code, which does not specifically mention commuTURN TO GARDEN ON A19
A rendering shows what new townhouses will look like when they replace business buildings on State Street in Carlsbad. Image courtesy of the city of Carlsbad
Townhouses to replace State Street businesses By Rachel Stine
CARLSBAD —A series of commercial buildings, Armstrong Woodworks, Whitlock Surf & Rental, and a few other businesses currently standing on State Street will soon be replaced by nearly 50 modern townhouses in the heart of Carlsbad Village. The structures along 2531 to 2601 State Street will be demolished to make way for 47 two- and three-story townhouses. Set to sit on a 1.89-acre plot, the narrow homes boast of contemporary facades and rooftop decks. The majority of the units will be live/work units, which allow offices with walk-in clientele. With its downtown Carlsbad location, the project was intended to appeal to the city’s efforts to encourage residents to utilize more public transportation and walk to local amenities by sup-
porting new houses near public transportation and commercial areas. The city’s planning commission approved the Intracorp, Inc., plans for the homes in May with a 4-2 split vote. Commissioners Victoria Scully and Velyn Anderson opposed the plans due to concerns about limited parking and restrictions on the homes work/live uses. The city currently permits artistic businesses, including graphic designers, to operate out of residences. The commissioners argued that a wider range of live/work businesses should be allowed, such as the businesses of attorneys, architects, and accountants. When the project was brought before council, Jan Jansson, who owns an office north of the property, objected to TURN TO TOWNHOMES ON A19