Originally, the land was proposed to become a city park and that’s how the site currently described in the city’s General Plan, Kranz said. The low-income housing proposal is the latest of many for the site, which is located at 634 Quail Gardens Drive between Channel Islands Drive and Alexandra Lane. While they urged a pause in the process, area housing advocates urged the council to press forward, saying the city is in desperate need of housing that lower-paid workers can afford. His comments were applauded by many Quail Gardens Drive area residents who urged the council to rethink the surplus proposal, and hold off at least until the impacts of the other housing projects are felt.

“This is the wrong place and the wrong density,” he said. Plans are in the works for nearly 1,100 units, he noted. Noting that he has repeatedly opposed turning the site into a housing project, Councilmember Bruce Ehlers said he would be once again voting no because of how many new housing projects are already going into the Quail Gardens area. In response, Hinze said she would agree to add into her motion that the city host “robust, comprehensive” community workshop sessions to discuss housing construction options for the site, starting no later than mid-January. He said that there was no reason to rush ahead with the surplus decision, noting that city staff members have said there is no state legislation currently pending that would prevent Encinitas from declaring the land surplus at a later point.Ĭouncilmember Allison Blackwell, whom Hinze at one point described as “wavering” on which way to vote, said she could support the surplus proposal if the council also agreed to pursue community meetings as soon as possible.

A decision about whether to declare the property surplus was supposed to come after Kosmont’s work concluded and after community meetings were held - neither of which have happened, Kranz said. In late June, the council approved a contract with Kosmont Companies for real estate assessment work related to the property. Mayor Tony Kranz said there’s been confusion because the city hasn’t followed through with a recent promise it gave to Quail Gardens Drive area residents to host community meetings before making any decisions about what to do with the property. “We’re not selling it, we’re not changing ownership, we’re not giving up control,” she told the audience, saying there’s been confusion in the community about the proposal.

Lyndes said she envisioned a project that sits “gently on the land” and said she was supporting the surplus declaration because it met the state requirements.

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