PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92025 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
OCT. 3, 2014
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
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The building on the corner of Faraday Avenue and El Camino Real has been vacant for 15 years, says President of Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Ted Owens. The site may be used for a new higher education satellite campus. Photo by Ellen Wright
Carlsbad has big plans for vacant site RANCHO By Ellen Wright
Got your goat Ada Lovelace Goat, a Nigerian Dwarf Goat, stops and looks around on Saturday at the site of the Encinitas Union School District’s soon-to-be-open farm lab on Quali Gardens Drive. A new mural was also unveiled and school officials and visitors helped take part in a “seed bombing” of the fields by throwing clumps of seeds onto the ground. See the story about the art murals on page A12. Photo by Tony Cagala
Subcommittee to issue financing report Oct. 22 By Aaron Burgin
ENCINITAS — City Manager Gus Vina’s surprise announcement last month that the Pacific View purchase would have to be consummated with pricier taxable bonds — as opposed to the cheaper tax exempt variety — has raised a number of questions; namely, why the disclosure wasn’t made sooner? Vina said in a recent interview with The Coast News that the reason was simple: the City Council didn’t ask. “We were never instructed by the Council to look into that option,” Vina said last week. The city is in the final stages of purchasing the land that many people in Encinitas hope will eventually be the site of a performing arts center that leases out performance space to local visual and performing arts groups. Vina told the Council on Sept. 17 that the Council would likely need to finance the $10 million purchase of the venerable school site by selling taxable bonds, as opposed to tax-exempt bonds. The reason: tax-exempt bond, which carry a cheaper price tag, re-
The Encinitas City Council expects to receive a subcommittee report about financing the Pacific View purchase Oct. 22 File photo
strict what the city can do with the property, whereas taxable bonds allow the city to explore a wider range of options. They also come with a higher interest rate, which could add as much as $80,000 a year to the annual debt service payments, causing the total debt service over 30 years from $22.9 million to $24.4 million. People in the audience — including supporters — were visibly surprised by Vina’s revelation, which
was the first time that taxable bonds had been mentioned as an option. Opponents have seized hold of the potential debt increase as yet another reason the city should find a way to back away from the purchase and renegotiate with the school district. Even one ardent supporter described it as a “speed bump” toward the ultimate realization of the community’s vision for Pacific View, but added that the recent revelation gave them brief pause. “The word that sticks out is inexplicable,” said Scott Chatfield, who created the Save Pacific View website. “In the long term, this is just another speed bump in the road, and while I expect difficulties to arise, I don’t expect friendly fire.” Vina at the meeting said the reason the topic wasn’t broached earlier was because the Council hadn’t discussed concretely how it wanted to use the land following the purchase. This explanation did not resonate with audience members and critics of the purchase, who already thought the city was paying far too much for the property. Some said the city’s inTURN TO REPORT ON A18
CARLSBAD — The city has big plans for the empty building on the corner of Faraday Avenue and El Camino Real that was once home to Farmer’s Insurance. After speaking with local businesses, city council realized the need for a local higher education program. Assistant City Manager Kathy Dodson said they’re looking at graduate level engineering programs, which align with the business sector in Carlsbad, including life sciences, computer programming and information and communications technology. She said one of the major concerns local business owners have is talent acquisition. “They’ve got to have the talent they need to grow their business,” Dodson said. The city is taking the process slowly so an end date has not yet been established. “We’re taking this really slow because it’s a big program and it’s not something that governments typically deal with,” Dodson said. The city issued a request for expression of interest to school officials that are interested in opening a satellite campus in Carlsbad. This process is more flexible than the usual development process, which involves candidates filing a
request for proposal. SFNEWS The flexibility allows the city to court interested schools and work with a candidate to create the best fit, Dodson said. Since the process is a bit different, a budget has not yet been defined although the city is working with a contractor, Steven Jacobs of U 3 Advisors, for guidance. Ted Owens, president of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, said about 15 to 20 colleges have expressed interest in locating a satellite campus in Carlsbad. The city already owns the seven-acre property. Dodson said the city doesn’t have the resources to locate an undergraduate school in the building, because there isn’t enough room for student housing. According to a brochure put out by the city, a university would add local jobs to the economy through the purchase of goods and services, construction and from student and visitor spending. The window for schools to request an expression of interest will be closed by early next week, and until then, the names of the interested schools will stay private, Dodson said. The city will accept requests for proposals by next June and will start negotiations with the top two or three candidates, Owens said. The Council should be able to announce which school they’ve chosen by the end of next year.
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