City of Encinitas, CA COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Early on in the process, the Downtown Encinitas SPArC met to identify issues, problems, obstacles, assets and opportunities associated with enhancing the economic and physical development of the downtown Encinitas area. These issues have been grouped under the major categories listed below. A majority of the problems and issues identified are associated with pedestrian and vehicular circulation, where pedestrian safety, traffic flow, and parking were the main focus.

LAND USE
●	Under-utilized land.
●	Incompatible uses.
●	Maintain eclectic architecture.
●	Need visual screening and restrictions.
●	Define character/image.
●	Lack of public space/outdoor open space, informal, cultural activities, public markets, etc.
●	Provide mixed use (residential with commercial).
●	Seek evolutionary, incremental change rather than revolutionary change.
●	Child care services - provide/promote.
●	Commuter rail station - bus facilities impacts.
●	Land use changes - multiple-family vs single family.
●	Define subdistricts.
HOUSING
●	Need for low income housing.
●	Seismic safety.
●	Preserve existing housing stock in specific plan area.
CIRCULATION
Pedestrian/Bicycle:
●	Provide and enhance circulation, connect with surrounding areas.
●	Being able to walk to community/neighborhood services.
●	Want protected pedestrian crossings/grade separated:
	-	Safer circulation for school children crossing major streets.
	-	Provide sidewalks/protected pedestrian paths along Cornish to Vulcan.
	-	Provide adequate sidewalk widths, different districts & uses.
●	Provide linkages to regional trail systems.
●	Bicycle lanes - non-existent or poorly maintained, resulting in interference of traffic flow.
●	Change existing bikeway location.
●	Lack of safe walkways, crosswalks.
●	Lack of pedestrian-oriented integration of beach and commercial.
●	Lack of Rapid Public Transportation to San Diego.
Vehicular:
●	Discourage further diversion of traffic flow.
●	Road improvements - standards.
●	Parking needs; provide alternative solutions.
●	Lack of on-street parking opportunities in residential areas where streets are unimproved.
●	Rail corridor - minimize railway corridor impacts.
●	Impacts of proposed bus transfer facility.
●	Improve flow of traffic along Highway 101.
●	Parking management.
●	Impacts of truck and bus routes.
●	Beach access improvements.
●	Use of trolley in downtown area.
●	Landscaping median.
●	Inadequate road widths on primary access roads.
●	Utility poles in right-of-way (ROW).
●	Intersection problems.
●	Unimproved, inaccessible alleys.
●	Lack of enforcement; variable speed limits along single stretches of road, inadequate posting; excessive speed limits.
●	Inadequate beach parking.
●	Inadequate commercial parking.
●	Existing parking regulations as a disincentive to development.
●	Inadequate residential parking.
●	RV camping on public streets and parking lots.
INFRASTRUCTURE & PUBLIC SAFETY
●	Ponding of water in roads and at intersections.
●	Flooding of alleys.
●	Need street lighting.
●	Undergrounding utility lines.
●	Fire station - adequate location.
●	Control groundwater recharge - recycle.
●	Need timing/coordination of physical improvements.
●	Bluff erosion.
●	Street-end areas along bluffs pose liability problems.
●	Seismic safety.
●	Evaluate emergency programs.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
●	Recycling Programs - need public trash containers to accommodate recyclable material.
●	Historic Preservation Program
	-	define resources
	-	alternatives for preservation
●	Coordinate with Main Street Program.
●	View corridors/viewpoints.
●	Solar access.
RECREATION
●	Need more parks & open space - community serving.
●	Want community events.
●	Need more active recreational facilities such as a swimming pool.
●	Capitalize on beaches as recreational opportunities.
●	Joint use for schools/park (Pacific View, old school house).
●	West street end - vista/park opportunities.
CULTURAL
●	Provide a cultural center & public meeting space indoor/outdoor (amphitheater).
●	Expand existing library - need for services.
●	Recognize the Downtown Encinitas commercial corridor as appropriate for street performers.
DESIGN/COMMUNITY CHARACTER
●	Lighting.
●	Establish sense of community.
●	Establish signage regulations - uniform public signage.
●	Interface with SRF Specific Plan Areas and North 101 Specific Plan Area.
●	Provide incentives for open-air/street commercial, sidewalk cafes, street vendors.
●	Make design elements functional.
●	Establish architectural design control - compatibility.
●	Balance design diversity & compatibility control.
●	Compliment existing design character.
LANDSCAPE
●	Want more street trees.
●	Need tree preservation.
●	Need more landscaping.
●	Need street tree maintenance program.
SOCIOECONOMIC
●	Address transient loitering/drinking.
NOISE
●	Noise sources - traffic & commuter rail.
●	Relationship to land uses and development standards.

The following specific plan goals and objectives were formulated based on the problems and issues identified by the SPArC and are grouped together under the same major categories.

LAND USE GOALS
●	Maintain the small scale and beachtown character of the Downtown Encinitas specific plan area.
	Objectives
	○	Adopt land use development regulations for the specific plan area that define height, building mass, and/or density.
	○	Establish architectural design guidelines that promote architectural compatibility with the existing community character and also encourage design diversity without sacrificing design quality.
	○	Establish road standards that maintain a semi-rural character for the eastern Residential subdistrict.
	○	Provide for parkways in the western residential subdistrict.
	○	Provide for the development of a transit station in the transit corridor of the specific plan area, with care to insure that resulting traffic is safe and within acceptable levels, and that the character of the downtown area is preserved.
●	Provide outdoor public spaces for cultural and civic activities.
	Objectives
	○	Maintain the block between D Street and E Street, east of Vulcan Avenue for a potential civic center in the downtown area.
	○	Encourage plazas and/or an outdoor amphitheater as part of a permanent civic center site.
	○	Support a policy encouraging public events within the specific plan area.
●	Provide allowances and regulations for street vendors and performers.
	Objective
	○	Establish specific zone regulations that allow street vendors and performers to use the public right-of-way and public spaces.
●	Identify under-utilized land and propose potential land uses.
	Objectives
	○	Change the zoning of the property designated as limited visitor-serving commercial located at 112 C Street and 371 Second Street to a mixed use zone that would allow more development flexibility of the property.
	○	Encourage the redevelopment of a civic center complex to include a city hall, library, and/or a small, outdoor (capacity of 100 or less) amphitheater for the block between D Street and E Street, east of Vulcan Avenue.
	○	Encourage and support the continuation and vitality of the La Paloma Theater as a potential civic auditorium as well as a theater.
	○	Develop vista points at potential west street ends such as F Street.
	○	Develop a mini-park/vista point at the west end of J Street.
	○	Develop a joint use school and park facility at the Pacific View Elementary School site.
	○	Develop the east block of Moonlight Beach State Park between Third Street and First Street as a mixed use park site which includes restoration of Cottonwood Creek and potential uses such as those described in the Moonlight Beach Master Plan.
●	Identify subdistricts and consider as separate and unique areas within the specific plan area.
	Objectives
	○	Establish design recommendations and development standards for the following subdistricts within the specific plan area: Residential East, Haciendas de la Playa Condominiums, Railroad Right-of-Way, First Street Corridor, Second Street Corridor, Moonlight Beach State Park, Visitor Serving Commercial Site, Vulcan Square Site, and Residential West.
	○	Recognize the unique land use issues and development potential of the "Coast Dispatch" site within the First Street Corridor Subdistrict.
●	Provide for mixed-use land opportunities in the specific plan area.
	Objectives
	○	Rezone First Street to allow mixed-use development which would enable properties to develop as either commercial or a mix of primarily commercial with secondary residential uses.
	○	Rezone portions of Second Street to allow mixed use development which would enable properties to develop as residential, commercial, office professional, or a mix of these uses.
	○	Develop design guidelines and development standards that address incompatibilities between uses in mixed use zones such as conflicting hours of operation, noise, traffic, etc.
●	Maintain and enhance a pedestrian-oriented environment and economically viable downtown by limiting ground floor uses along the First Street Corridor (S. Coast Hwy 101) to pedestrian oriented uses only.
	Objectives
	○	Establish specific regulations for commercial uses and services that promote pedestrian activity and provide highly visible and accessible opportunities for a wide variety of shopping at the street level.
	○	Limit ground floor uses to retail business services that demonstrate a dependency upon walk-up traffic, and/or serve patrons on an unannounced or drop-in basis.
	○	Pedestrian activity at the street level should be strongly encouraged to create and maintain a compact, uninterrupted walking experience that represents a unique, attractive, and memorable destination for residents and visitors.
	○	Identify a process that would allow a use that is not specifically listed when it can demonstrate its dependency on frequent pedestrian traffic.
	○	Establish a set of regulations that control the location, amount, quantity, or size of accessory uses and nonconforming uses.
	○	Require that windows provide a clear and transparent view into ground floor uses to give buildings a pedestrian-scale.
●	Enhance the streetscapes within the specific plan area.
	Objectives
	○	Establish a comprehensive street tree program for the specific plan area.
	○	Establish a comprehensive sign program for certain subdistricts within the specific plan area.
	○	Strengthen and promote pedestrian linkages within the plan area through comprehensive circulation planning and streetscape design.
●	Expand existing library facilities.
	Objective
	○	Redevelop the existing library site or incorporate as part of the proposed civic center site.
●	Promote more child care facilities and services.
	Objective
	○	Encourage a daycare facility in conjunction with the commuter rail station as part of Phase 2 development or the proposed civic center.
●	Maintain and encourage more neighborhood serving uses in the commercial district.
	Objective
	○	Create a balance between visitor serving uses and neighborhood serving uses by restricting visitor serving uses along Second Street.
●	Coordinate and interface with adjacent specific plan areas.
	Objective
	○	Coordinate bike facilities with existing/proposed north-south trails.
●	Provide spaces for sidewalk cafes, street vendors, and open-air commercial activities.
	Objectives
	○	Establish design and development regulations that encourage spaces for outdoor public activities.
	○	Provide wider sidewalks where needed.
	○	Make allowances through development regulations that encourage sidewalk cafes and limited outdoor uses.
●	Discourage architectural theme districts that dictate architectural "sameness" and stifle creativity.
	Objective
	○	Establish architectural design recommendations that encourage design diversity without sacrificing design quality, while also providing for architectural compatibility with the community character.
●	Address transients and loitering issue in the downtown commercial district.
	Objectives
	○	Increase pedestrian activity along the commercial corridor.
	○	Enforce city codes and consider the use of foot and/or bike patrols along the commercial corridor.
	○	Provide mixed-use development in the downtown commercial district.
●	Eliminate incompatibilities between land uses within the specific plan area.
	Objectives
	○	Coordinate with existing Downtown Encinitas Mainstreet Association (DEMA), the Chamber of Commerce, and other business organizations programs that provide incentives for businesses to cleanup and enhance unsightly buildings.
	○	Develop a specific sign program for the commercial district.
	○	Prohibit the permanent use of chainlink fencing, or barbed or razor wire within public view along First Street and Second Street.
	○	Establish design recommendations and development standards that require the screening of unsightly views and proper storage of trash within the specific plan area.
	○	Require that all alleys be paved and drainage problems be corrected as development occurs.
	○	Enhance the landscape treatment of alleys.
	○	Encourage businesses to have vendors make deliveries from alleys.
	○	Prohibit billboard signs in the specific plan area.
CIRCULATION GOALS
●	Promote a pedestrian oriented circulation system in the specific plan area.
	Objectives
	○	Provide more neighborhood serving uses within walking distance of the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
	○	Provide more street trees and street furniture in high traffic areas such as First Street.
	○	Minimize conflicts between pedestrians and other transportation modes, and protect the pedestrian orientation of the plan area.
	○	Provide more hiking/bicycle trails that link major destination points within the specific plan area as well as connect to citywide and regional trail systems.
●	Provide for safer pedestrian and bicycle circulation.
	Objectives
	○	Construct sidewalks in the following locations:
		On the east side of Vulcan Avenue between Encinitas Boulevard and J Street.
		On First Street between D Street and B Street;
		On Third Street between D Street and B Street;
		On both sides of Encinitas Boulevard between Vulcan Avenue and Moonlight Beach.
	○	Provide enhanced paving or paint crosswalks on First Street at locations of existing stop signs (i.e., G Street) and at all busy intersections.
	○	Provide pedestrian circulation improvements at the intersection of K Street and First Street.
	○	Re-stripe all crosswalks which have been eliminated as a result of repaving.
	○	Construct pedestrian crosswalks over railroad tracks at D Street and E Street.
	○	Provide safer crossings for school children at major intersections and identify safe routes to school.
	○	Maintain the existing bikeway along Third Street and establish additional alternate bike routes within the specific plan area.
	○	Consider controlling traffic speeds along First Street.
	○	Reduce excessive curb cuts through specific plan design guidelines.
●	Provide bicycle/hiking trail linkages to regional trail systems.
	Objective
	○	Coordinate with North County Transit District and other cities in developing a hiking/bicycle trail along the commuter rail corridor connecting Escondido to Oceanside and Oceanside to San Diego.
●	Promote mass transit and multi-transportation systems and minimize impacts of these systems on the community.
	Objectives
	○	Encourage a local motor trolley system which services the community, visitors, and the commuter rail station.
	○	Encourage and coordinate with future public transportation systems that are consistent with community character.
●	Provide alternate parking solutions and parking management in the specific plan area.
	Objective
	○	Establish special parking strategies for the commercial subdistricts that will provide for adequate parking but sill retain the character of the downtown area.
●	Manage traffic flow along First Street.
	Objectives
	○	Analyze the traffic circulation patterns and intersection levels of service within the plan area relative to the following alternatives:
		-	existing land uses;
		-	projected land uses which result from complete buildout conditions associated with current zoning;
		-	and land uses projected as a result of the adoption of the Downtown Encinitas Specific Plan and associated street improvements.
	○	Identify street and alley improvements that will provide efficient and safe movement of people and goods within the downtown Encinitas area.
	○	Maintain diagonal parking, expand as feasible.
	○	Consider reducing traffic speeds along First Street.
●	Improve pedestrian access to the beach.
	Objectives
	○	Construct sidewalks on both sides of Encinitas Boulevard between Vulcan Avenue and Moonlight Beach.
	○	Provide trail linkages from Moonlight Beach to citywide and regional trail systems.
HOUSING GOALS
●	Maintain existing housing stock in specific plan area.
●	Provide for affordable housing.
	Objectives
	○	Establish development regulations that allow commercial/residential mixed uses that promote live/work situations.
	○	Encourage senior citizen housing development in the downtown area.
	○	Allow existing nonconforming housing.
	○	Permit restricted residential uses in commercial zones.
	○	Apply for available grant programs and funding sources.
INFRASTRUCTURE & PUBLIC SAFETY GOALS
●	Coordinate timing and implementation of infrastructure improvements.
	Objective
	○	Establish a capital improvements program which coordinates the timing of capital facilities installation.
●	Establish guidelines that address coastal erosion and bluff failure.
	Objectives
	○	Reduce landscape irrigation by providing development standards and landscape guidelines that require xeriscape techniques.
	○	Prohibit further expansion of septic tanks, leach lines, and cesspools in the planning area.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT GOALS
●	Preserve significant historic, visual, biological, and cultural resources.
	Objectives
	○	Consider establishing a resource preservation program that protects significant architectural and historical structures, sites, details, vistas, bluffs, beach, and wetland areas.
	○	Establish a street tree master plan which includes preservation of mature trees, planting additional street trees, and a regular maintenance program. Provide for diversity of species along the same street as appropriate.
	○	Identify potential adaptive re-uses or restoration opportunities uses for historic structures that are either vacant or in danger of being demolished.
	○	Establish additional permitted uses specific to the preservation of historic structures in addition to the uses permitted in the underlying zone provided that the nature and the character of the use are such that it will be compatible with and not adversely impact the neighborhood or the historic resource. (Ord. 2009-15)
	○	Establish the historic use of a resource (defined as the original resource use or the use for which the resource was designated) as a permitted use if that use is not typically permitted by the underlying zoning district. (Ord. 2009-15)
	○	Coordinate historic preservation and restoration strategies with the existing Downtown Encinitas Mainstreet Program.
	○	Establish an enhanced, "historic walk" trail through the downtown area.
●	Preserve the city beaches which are important open space and recreational resources for the entire community.
	Objective
	○	Establish an aggressive citywide sand restoration program to protect Moonlight Beach and other beaches within the city.
●	Encourage use of solar energy and water conservation.
	Objectives
	○	Encourage use of solar energy and make allowances for solar access through development regulations.
	○	Provide public trash containers to accommodate recyclable material.
	○	Encourage use of drought tolerant landscaping.
RECREATION/OPEN SPACE GOALS
●	Provide more parks, open space, and active recreational facilities.
	Objectives
	○	Redevelop the east block of Moonlight Beach State Park between Third Street and First Street to include restoration of Cottonwood Creek, open space, picnic areas, and trails, as well as those facilities identified in the Moonlight Beach Master Plan.
	○	Develop vista points at potential west street ends such as F Street.
	○	Develop a mini-park/vista point at the west end of J Street.
	○	Provide a joint use of school and park facilities at the existing Pacific View Elementary School site.
	○	Establish a pedestrian trail system that links recreational destination points such as parks, beach access points, and historic points of interest in the planning area to the citywide and regional trail system.
	○	Provide opportunities for public art such as murals, sculpture, mosaics, etc. on public and private property.
●	Encourage more events and activities that bring the community together in the downtown area.
	Objectives
	○	Promote and encourage community support for the Downtown Encinitas Mainstreet Association (DEMA), Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations.
	○	Provide spaces and opportunities for civic and community events.
	○	Encourage an outdoor market featuring agricultural and floral products in order to foster community heritage.
NOISE GOALS
●	Reduce nuisance noise levels within the specific plan area.

●	to maintain its small and casual beach town character while at the same time creating an environment that is rich in cultural, civic, and recreational activities;
●	to create a downtown area that promotes pedestrian activity;
●	to enhance the commercial corridor and encourage a balance of uses that serve both the needs of the neighborhood residents as well as the visitors to the community;
●	to encourage architectural quality and creativity;
●	to protect and enhance existing visual, cultural, historical, and natural resources;
●	and to foster the success of the commercial districts of the Downtown Encinitas area.