The preparation of this document is called for by the City's
General Plan in recognition of the North 101 Corridor's unique character,
needs, and opportunities. All components and requirements as specified
in the General Plan have been addressed in this document which is
made up of ten chapters:
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1.
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Summary
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2.
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Community Vision and Specific Plan Goals
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3.
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Use and Development Regulations
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4.
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Design Recommendations
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5.
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Circulation Plan
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6.
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Public Facilities and Infrastructure
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7.
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Historic Preservation Plan
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8.
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Housing
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9.
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General Plan and Local Coastal Program Compliance; and
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10.
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Implementation.
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The North 101 Corridor planning area consists of approximately
231 acres located within the communities of Leucadia and Old Encinitas
in the City of Encinitas (Figure 1). The planning area is bounded
by the City limit line on the north, B Street/Encinitas Boulevard
on the south, parcels fronting Vulcan Avenue on the east, and parcels
fronting North Highway 101 on the west, with some exceptions (Figure
2).
1.1.1
PLANNING BACKGROUND
From the early 1800's until the completion of Interstate 5 in
the late 1960's, the unincorporated Leucadia and Encinitas areas evolved
into unique beach-town communities with a small town atmosphere and
picturesque setting. With easy access to a major freeway, these communities
experienced tremendous growth that has generally continued to the
present day. Accompanying this increase in prosperity, however, came
the pressures and impacts of growth. The older, established beach-side
communities have been experiencing transition, redevelopment and the
redefinition of use and community function.
In 1986, Encinitas incorporated forming five diverse and unique
communities: Cardiff, Leucadia, New Encinitas, Old Encinitas, and
Olivenhain. The City's General Plan, which was adopted in 1989, calls
for the preparation and implementation of this specific plan.
The primary purpose of the specific plan is to address the unique
aspects, problems, and opportunities of the North 101 Corridor, and
to maintain its identity, community character, and scale, while fostering
the revitalization of the North Highway 101 commercial corridor.
1.1.2
LAND USE
A primary goal of the specific plan is to maintain the unique and desirable aspects of the planning area, while providing continued private land use and investment, public improvements, and the economic success of the North Highway 101 Corridor Specific Plan area. In order to achieve this goal, the specific plan provides custom-tailored use and development regulations as described in Chapter 3.
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Figure 1
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Figure 2
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A.
Residential
1.
Previous Zoning
Prior to the adoption of the North 101 Corridor Specific Plan,
zoning in the plan area included a total of 77.0 acres designated
as residential. This included 10.4 acres of Residential 3, 42.2 acres
of Residential 8, 17.2 acres of Residential 11, 6.8 acres of Residential
25, and 0.4 acres of Residential Single-Family 11 as shown in Table
1-1.
2.
Specific Plan
The specific plan allocates 83.1 acres of residential-only zoning
which includes 10.4 acres of Residential 3 (N-R3), 28.4 acres of Residential
8 (N-R8), 1.4 acres of Residential 11 (N-R11), 4.9 acres of Residential
15 (N-R15), 15.8 acres of Residential 20 (N-R20), 10.6 acres of Residential
25 (N-R25), and 11.6 acres of Mobile Home Park (N-MHP) as shown in
Table 1-1.
The existing Riviera Mobile Home Park totaling 11.6 acres, previously
designated R-8, has been changed to a Mobile Home Park Zone (N-MHP)
in order to recognize and help preserve its mobile home status. Another
0.4 acres previously zoned Residential Single-Family 11, located along
North Highway 101, has been changed to the Commercial Mixed 1 Zone
(N-CM-1), to be consistent with the property's frontage along Highway
101.
The specific plan has also expanded previous commercial zoning
in the North Highway 101 Corridor Specific Plan area to allow residential
use. Zones that were formerly designated as exclusively commercial
have been changed to mixed use zones which allow residential as a
secondary use in conjunction with commercial (N-CM-1, N-CM-2, and
N-CM-3 Zones) or allow individual properties to develop as commercial,
mixed use, or stand-alone residential (N-CRM-1 and N-CRM-2 Zones).
B.
Commercial
1.
Previous Zoning
Under previous zoning, commercial designations totaled 47.7
acres which included 39.0 acres of general commercial, 4.4 acres of
limited visitor-serving commercial, 3.4 acres of visitor-serving commercial,
and 0.9 acres of limited-local commercial as shown in Table 1-1.
2.
Specific Plan
The specific plan provides a total of 53.3 acres of commercial
and commercial mixed zoning which encompasses 13.7 acres of Commercial
Mixed 1 (N-CM-1), 8.7 acres of Commercial Mixed 2 (N-CM-2), 3.3 acres
of Commercial Mixed 3 (N-CM-3), 13.6 acres of Commercial, Residential
Mixed 1 (N-CRM-1), 4.0 acres of Commercial, Residential Mixed 2 (N-CRM-2),
4.4 acres of Limited Visitor-Serving Commercial (N-L-VSC), and 5.6
acres of Visitor-Serving Commercial (N-VSC).
The N-CM-1, N-CM-2 and N-CM-3 Zones will allow residential as
a secondary use to a commercial use. The N-CRM-1 and N-CRM-2 Zones
will allow properties to develop as commercial, stand-alone residential
or a mix of commercial and residential. These zones have been custom-tailored
to reflect the existing development characteristics of the North 101
Corridor, which include small lots, zero front yard setbacks, and
a higher percentage of lot coverage. The specific plan has reduced
setback and landscape requirements that set forth flexible parking
requirements and increased maximum percent lot coverage and Floor
Area Ratios (FARs) from the citywide general commercial requirements.
Refer to Section 3.1 for further discussion of these zones.
C.
Office
Professional
1.
Previous Zoning
A total of 10.2 acres zoned office professional was previously
located along Vulcan Avenue as shown in Table 1-1.
2.
Specific Plan
The specific plan does not include any property designated office
professional. 4.0 acres of office professional has been changed to
the N-CRM-2 Zone, 0.5 acres to the N-CM-1 Zone, 4.1 acres to the N-R15
Zone and 1.6 acres to the N-R25 Zone.
D.
Public/Semi-Public
1.
Previous Zoning
A total of 8.4 acres previously zoned public/semi-public, located
along Vulcan Avenue, included the Paul Ecke Central School site (7.5
acres) and the San Dieguito Unified High School District property
(0.9 acres) as shown in Table 1-1.
2.
Specific Plan
The 7.5-acre Paul Ecke Central Elementary School site will remain
a Public/Semi-Public Zone (N-P/SP). The remaining 0.9 acres, property
used by the high school district for non-school uses, has been changed
to Residential 15 (N-R15).
E.
Ecological
Resource/Open Space/Parks
1.
Previous Zoning
Leucadia Roadside Park, comprising only 0.2 acres, was previously
zoned ecological resource/open space/parks.
2.
Specific Plan
Leucadia Roadside Park will remain a park site. However, the
specific plan designates this site as a Historic Park Zone (N-HP).
Refer to Section 3.1 for further discussion regarding this zone.
F.
Rail
Corridor
1.
Previous Zoning
Uses in the railroad corridor, consisting of 33.2 acres, were
not covered under previous citywide zoning regulations. However, this
area has a Transportation Corridor Land Use designation under the
City's General Plan.
2.
Specific Plan
The railroad corridor is designated under the Transportation
Corridor Zone (N-TC) which identifies specific uses permitted in this
zone. A 0.50 acre portion of the railroad right-of-way at the northernmost
boundary of the specific plan is now zoned as Visitor-Serving Commercial,
reducing the Transportation Corridor Zone to 32.7 acres.
The specific plan is proposing a linear park along the railroad
right-of-way, which will include a multi-modal recreational path,
landscaping and parking bays. This could potentially increase the
amount of open space within the specific plan area by approximately
18.6 acres.
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Table 1-1 Zoning Comparison
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Previous Zoning
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Acres
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Specific Plan Zoning
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Acres
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Residential 3 (R-3)
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10.4
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Residential 3 (N-R3)
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10.4
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Residential 8 (R-8)
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42.2
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Residential 8 (N-R8)
Residential 25 (N-R25)
Mobile Home Park (N-MHP)
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28.4
2.2
11.6
42.2
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Residential 11 (R-11)
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17.2
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Residential 20 (N-R20)
Commercial, Residential Mixed 1 (N-CRM-1)
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15.8
1.4
17.2
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Residential 11 (RS-11)
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.4
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Commercial Mixed 1 (N-CM-1)
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.4
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Residential 25 (R-25)
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6.8
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Residential 25 (N-R25)
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6.8
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Office Professional (OP)
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10.2
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Residential 15 (N-R15)
Residential 25 (N-R25)
Commercial Mixed 1 (N-CM-1)
Commercial, Residential Mixed 2 (N-CRM-2)
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4.1
1.6
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4.0
10.2
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Limited Local Commercial (LLC)
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.9
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Commercial Mixed 1 (N-CM-1)
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.9
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Visitor-Serving Commercial (VSC)
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3.4
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Visitor-Serving Commercial (N-VSC)
Residential 11 (N-R11)
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2.2
1.2
3.4
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Limited Visitor-Serving Commercial (L-VSC)
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4.4
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Limited Visitor-Serving Commercial (N-L-VSC)
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4.4
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General Commercial (GC)
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39.0
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Commercial Mixed 1 (N-CM-1)
Commercial Mixed 2 (N-CM-2)
Commercial Mixed 3 (N-CM-3)
Commercial, Residential Mixed 1 (N-CRM-1)
Visitor-Serving Commercial (N-VSC)
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11.9
8.7
3.3
12.2
2.9
39.0
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Public/Semi-Public (P/SP)
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8.4
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Public/Semi-Public (N-P/SP)
Residential 15 (N-R15)
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7.5
.9
8.4
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Ecological Resource/Open Space/Parks (ER/OS/P)
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.2
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Historic Park (N-HP)
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.2
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Transportation Corridor1
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33.2
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Transportation Corridor (N-TC)
Visitor-Serving Commercial (N-VSC)
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32.7
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33.2
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Streets
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54.8
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Streets
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54.8
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Total
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231.5
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Total
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231.5
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1
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General Plan Land Use Designation
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Table 1-2 Specific Plan Zoning Acreage
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Specific Plan Zone
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Total Acres
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Residential 3 (N-R3)
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10.4
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Residential 8 (N-R8)
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28.4
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Residential 11 (N-R11)
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1.2
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Residential 15 (N-R15)
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5.0
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Residential 20 (N-R20)
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15.8
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Residential 25 (N-R25)
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10.6
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Mobile Home Park (N-MHP)
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11.6
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Commercial Mixed 1 (N-CM-1)
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13.7
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Commercial Mixed 2 (N-CM-2)
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8.7
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Commercial Mixed 3 (N-CM-3)
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3.3
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Commercial, Residential Mixed 1 (N-CRM-1)
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13.6
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Commercial, Residential Mixed 2 (N-CRM-2)
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4.0
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Visitor-Serving Commercial (N-VSC)
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5.6
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Limited Visitor-Serving Commercial (N-L-VSC)
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4.4
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Public/Semi-Public (N-P/SP)
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7.5
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Historic Park (N-HP)
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.2
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Transportation Corridor (N-TC)
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32.7
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Streets
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54.8
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TOTAL
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231.5
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As required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),
an environmental impact report (EIR) was prepared addressing both
the Downtown Encinitas and North 101 Corridor Specific Plans. This
EIR was certified by the Encinitas City Council with the adoption
of the Downtown Encinitas Specific Plan, and has been updated by an
addendum making minor changes to reflect changes from the first draft
to the final draft of the North 101 Corridor Specific Plan. The EIR
examines a range of possible environmental effects resulting from
the full implementation of both specific plans; that is, from build-out
of land uses pursuant to specific plan zoning and design criteria,
and from the completion of streetscape and capital facilities improvements.
Negative impacts are cited for certain resource issues including
potential land use conflicts, noise, air quality, traffic circulation,
and greater demand on library and school services. Mitigation measures
to reduce these impacts to a level of insignificance are identified
for all issues except cumulative regional air quality, and cumulative
demand for schools and libraries. Related findings of the Statement
of Overriding Considerations address these circumstances. The EIR
also finds several positive impacts, including increased housing opportunities,
preservation and enhancement of community character, and promotion
of public safety by the completion of the street and infrastructure
improvements. The EIR and Addendum are on file with the City, and
may be referenced for the discussion of mitigation measures and details
of environmental analysis.
