1.1.1
PURPOSE AND INTENT OF SPECIFIC PLAN
This document has been prepared for the purpose of establishing guidelines for a mixed-use land development plan focused on land uses such as agricultural, open space, golf course, commercial, and residential with an efficient circulation system on a total of 852.8 acres.
The purpose of the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan is to provide for the orderly and efficient development of the Specific Plan Area in accordance with the provisions of the City of Encinitas General Plan. When adopted by City legislative action, the Specific Plan document will serve both planning and regulatory functions. The Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan contains the standards, procedures, and guidelines necessary to accomplish this purpose.
The Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan document has been prepared and established under the authority granted to the City of Encinitas by the California Government Code, Title 7, Division 3, Articles 8 and 9, Sections 65450 and 65507. The Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the Draft Specific Plan was issued by the City of Encinitas Department of Community Development as the lead agency.
The State of California, under the authority of the above code sections, encourages cities to adopt Specific Plans either by resolution to establish a policy document, or by ordinance to establish a regulatory document. The Specific Plan document is intended to be a regulatory document and is subject to Planning Commission review and City Council adoption by ordinance.
All future development plans, tentative parcel and/or tract map(s), or other similar entitlements for properties located within the boundaries of this Specific Plan shall be consistent with the regulations set forth in this document and with all other applicable City regulations. Furthermore, all regulations, conditions, and programs contained herein shall be deemed separate, distinct, and independent provisions of the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan. In the event that any such provision is held invalid or unconstitutional by a state or federal court of competent jurisdiction, the validity of all remaining provisions of this Specific Plan shall not be affected.
Concurrently with this Specific Plan document, an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), as amended, has been utilized to prepare a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) in accordance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The EIR and MND evaluate the land use plan, circulation, and infrastructure improvements associated with the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan and the potential impacts that would result from their implementation. The EIR and MND also propose measures to mitigate potential impacts; many of which are incorporated into this document.
1.1.2
PROJECT SITE LOCATION
The Encinitas Ranch project site is located within the City of Encinitas, San Diego County, California, approximately 25 miles north of San Diego (see Figure 1, Regional Map). The Specific Plan Area is located approximately one mile south of La Costa Avenue and one-half mile north of Encinitas Boulevard, between the San Diego Freeway (I-5) and El Camino Real (see Figure 2, Vicinity Map). Primary access to the site is provided by I-5, with existing interchanges located one-half mile to the west at Leucadia Boulevard and one-half mile southwest at Encinitas Boulevard. Leucadia Boulevard, El Camino Real, Quail Gardens Drive and Saxony Road provide direct primary access to the site.
1.1.3
GENERAL PLAN LAND USES
The City of Encinitas General Plan designates a variety of land uses for the properties surrounding the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area (see Figure 3, General Plan Land Use Designation). For example, the land located north of the project site is designated for residential uses at densities of 0.51 to 1.00 dwelling units per acre (du/ac) and 2.01 to 3.00 du/ac. The majority of the land on the western edge of the project site boundary is identified in the General Plan as residential with a density of 2.01 to 3.00 du/ac. Interstate 5 forms a portion of the southwestern project boundary. The land located south of the Specific Plan Area includes a mix of residential, public/semi-public, park, and residential land uses (2.01 - 3.00 du/ac and 8.01 - 11.00 du/ac). A mixture of general commercial, residential (5.01 - 8.00 du/ac), office professional, and open space uses abut the project's eastern boundary. Finally, a large area of open space adjacent to the northeastern corner of the project is located within the City of Carlsbad and is not discussed within the Encinitas General Plan.
Several major landmarks surround the project site and include the Pacific Ocean and I-5 to the west, Batiquitos Lagoon to the north, and La Costa Resort to the northeast. The Magdalena Ecke YMCA and Ecke Sports Park is located on the west side of Saxony Road directly adjacent to I-5 and a portion of the southwestern Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan boundary. The CPC San Luis Rey Hospital and a retirement home facility are located across the street from the YMCA/Sports Park. Quail Botanical Gardens is located between Saxony Road and Quail Gardens Road. The northern boundary of these gardens forms a portion of the southern boundary of the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area.
The 29.8-acre Magdalena Ecke Preserve is surrounded on three sides by the northwest portion of the project site. Open space and small lot single family residential development is situated adjacent to the northwestern project boundary. Agricultural and open space land uses border the northeastern portion of the property.
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The easternmost portion of the project site (Green Valley Planning Area) is bordered by open space to the north, El Camino Real to the east, and a mobile home park, single family homes, and commercial development to the south. Approximately six acres have been reserved on the western side of El Camino Real, just south of the project site boundary, for a future United States Post Office. The Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan proposes a mix of land uses that will be consistent and compatible with the current and proposed land uses in the surrounding area.
1.1.4
EXISTING LAND USES AND SITE CONDITIONS
Encinitas Ranch is the site of the Paul Ecke Ranch. The Paul Ecke Ranch is the world's largest Poinsettia producer and, since 1923, the ranch has been used for agricultural purposes, mainly for growing Poinsettias. Most growing activity is now conducted in greenhouses located in the southwest portion of the project site, on the eastern side of Saxony Road. Currently, production facilities include 35 acres of fiberglass green-houses and saran structures. The rest of the project site contains a variety of land uses including natural open space areas, agriculture, and a few scattered residences, primarily around the edges of the central on-site mesa, as well as portions of the Specific Plan land uses which have been implemented.
Topographically, a mesa top traverses the central portion of the property. Steep north-south trending bluffs border the eastern edge of the mesa and separate it from Green Valley through which El Camino Real runs. A small tributary channel runs parallel to El Camino Real, just within the easternmost boundary of the Specific Plan Area. This channel lies within the mapped 100-year flood plain area and feeds into Encinitas Creek and ultimately into the Batiquitos Lagoon. Batiquitos Lagoon is a large water body located approximately one mile north of the project site which connects with the Pacific Ocean. The elevation of the property varies from approximately 70 feet Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL) in Green Valley to approximately 400 feet AMSL on the top of the mesa. Only about 10 percent of the entire property has slopes exceeding 25 percent. (See Figure 4, Sensitive Resources Map.)
The majority of the project site is or has in the recent past been utilized for agriculture, with a small portion used for greenhouses and a few scattered dwellings. In fact, more than 70 percent of the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area was either developed, used for agricultural purposes, or vacant land consisting of ruderal vegetation. The remaining areas of the project site are composed primarily of Diegan coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and woodland vegetative communities with very limited areas of marsh, riparian scrub, and nonnative grasslands. Several sensitive habitats are found within the Specific Plan Area and are delineated in Figure 4.
Figure 4 also shows the location of blueline streams that have been identified on United States Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) maps. These streams are under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers; any alteration of these streams will require a 404 permit. In addition, a 100-year flood-plain is delineated adjacent to El Camino Real. No development or filling within this floodplain will be allowed unless Policy 8.2 of the Land Use Element of the City's General Plan is amended to permit such development. Policy 8.2 currently allows Circulation Element roads, open space preservation, flood control projects, and a minimum intrusion of open parking into designated 100-year floodplain areas.
1.1.5
WILLIAMSON ACT STATUS
The Ecke Agricultural Preserve No. 1 has been participating in the California Land Conservation Act (Williamson Act) which protects farm acreage from development. The original contracts to create a preserve for all ranch properties went into effect on January 6, 1969. The contracts were assigned County Contract Numbers of 4444-0500-A, 4445-0500-A, and 4446-0500-A. On January 25, 1971, the three contracts were amended to conform with 1971 law. A second amendment was enacted on November 4, 1982, to reduce the minimum parcel area to 10 acres.
The landowner filed for a Notice of Nonrenewal on September 3, 1991, to terminate the contracts as applied to the Green Valley and West Saxony areas of the project site. A nonrenewal puts into effect a ten-year phaseout of the contracts over their remaining life; thus, the conversion of Green Valley to a nonagricultural use will become effective on December 31, 2001. A second Notice of Nonrenewal was filed on December 23, 1992, to terminate the contracts on North Mesa, Quail Hollow East, Sidonia East, and the southern portion of the mesa. Conversion of these areas to nonagricultural use will become effective on December 31, 2002. A third Notice of Nonrenewal was effective January 1, 1994, for the balance of the Specific Plan Area. Tentative Cancellation for the Green Valley and West Saxony Planning Areas was approved by the City of Encinitas on July 18, 1995, and for the remainder of the Specific Plan Area on February 21, 1996. A Certificate of Final Partial Cancellation for the Green Valley Planning Area was recorded on October 13, 1995, and a Certificate of Final Partial Cancellation for a portion of the West Saxony Planning Area was recorded on July 18, 1997.
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Paragraph amended 3/18/98 (Reso. 98-17) and 3/17/04 (Reso. 2004-13)