Award for Active Transportation: The San Diego chapter of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) awarded the city for their active transportation project work. Thanks to all the city staff and previous council members who supported active transportation improvements over the last decade.
City Budget: Pretty Good! At a Special Meeting, the City Council heard that Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 revenues are set to exceed expectations, while spending remains under budget. This was a prime opportunity for the new council members to get a download on city finances and budgeting.
- Food For Thought (FFT): With extra unallocated funds anticipated, how should the city use the $ best?
L-7 Park: A Win for Green Space, A Loss for Affordable Housing?: The Council voted to run city-owned land on Quail Gardens Drive (L-7) as a park, reversing the Surplus Lands Act designation for affordable housing. Council member O’Hara pushed beyond the boundaries of the agenda item by asking that $3.1 million in mitigation fees to fund the park’s construction.
- FFT: Can Encinitas create both a new park at L-7 and affordable housing somewhere else in the city – or is it a one-or-the-other deal?
- FFT: Would Quail Gardens Drive neighbors prefer to spend $3.1 million on a new park or on area traffic improvements instead?
Wildfire Threat: Is Encinitas Ready? Mayor Ehlers called for a deep dive into wildfire preparedness, the Public Health and Safety Commission to assess risks and infrastructure needs by early April.
- FFT: Will having the Commission tackle this big topic on an accelerated timeline lead to redundancy in planning?
Housing Reform: Bold Stand or Political Theater? Council members O’Hara and Shaffer want to push back on state-mandated housing targets, calling on San Diego cities to demand the state Housing Community Development (HCD) agency reassess the affordable housing numbers (Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)). The Council discussed efforts currently underway in our region to advocate for RHNA reform, which were omitted from the draft letter submitted by O’Hara and Shaffer. A newly-formed RHNA Reform Sub-committee (Ehlers + O’Hara) will refine the messaging. Some councilmembers see this as groundwork for a lawsuit against the state. It is not clear whether there have been any efforts to partner with our state representatives, Senator Blakespear and Assemblywoman Boerner. In her comments on this item, Deputy Mayor Lyndes advocated for exercising local control by having the city chart the way on affordable housing rather than leaving it to the state; there seemed to be little appetite among the other council members.
- FFT: Will other cities join the fight, or is Encinitas going it alone?