The leadership team of the Four Corners Consortium wanted to be sure that residents of Encinitas Ranch were aware that a surprise motion was made last week at the city council meeting on Wednesday, March 22nd. This motion made by council member, Kellie Hinze, and seconded by Joy Lyndes asked that direction be given to city staff to look at how to maximize use of L-7 for 100% affordable housing. The motion was unnecessary and not on the agenda. Ultimately, the council approved a motion to direct city staff to analyze all city owned land as potential sites for affordable housing.
For those of you not familiar with L-7, it is a 7.65 acre parcel of open land located at 634 Quail Gardens Lane. It is undeveloped property south of Via Zamia and north of Quail Gardens Lane. There is approximately two acres west of Quail Gardens Lane and the remainder on the east side.
Encinitas Ranch has for many years opposed development of L-7 as in doing so would just exacerbate the already terrible traffic conditions on Quail Gardens Lane and it would certainly have a big impact on the quality of life.
Below is an email sent to council members Hinze and Lyndes on March 24th.
Here is a very good summary of the council meeeting last week in the Coast News:
Council Members Hinze and Lyndes,
I am writing to you on behalf of all the residents represented by the leadership team of the Four Corners Consortium. To remind you this consortium represents every community that adjoins Quail Gardens Drive:
- Encinitas Ranch Community Association
- 1 Channel Island
- Quail Park
- Quail Run (Kristen Court)
- Quail Pointe
- Quail Gardens Lane
Collectively we represent over 1500 homes and 3000 voters. We are also collaborating with the E-3 Collective on traffic calming for this road corridor and they do share our concerns.
Many of us watched with great interest the most recent city council meeting held on Wednesday, March 22nd on what was supposed to be a study session to discuss No Net Loss requirements for the 6th cycle of the house element and additional site selection criteria. We were shocked by the motion made by you regarding L-7 as a site for low income affordable housing.
The following are our concerns with this discussion:
- The subject of the motion was not on the agenda.
- The motion presented does not represent the interests or concerns of the constituents who live in this area. No one spoke to any of them prior to this meeting to solicit feedback. No community meetings were held. This is an extremely sensitive issue for all the residents who live along Quail Gardens Drive and the motion only serves to exacerbate their feelings about city government and the perceived lack of community involvement and transparency.
- We would like to understand the background on this motion and who in these neighborhoods suggested such an action.
- The city needs to follow the HCD guidelines for distribution of HEU sites. The HCD policy states that a city should“Ensure that the identified sites are located throughout the city, rather than concentrated in certain neighborhoods or areas.” “By following these policies, local governments in California can help ensure that housing is distributed fairly and equitably throughout their cities, and that all residents have access to safe, decent, and affordable housing.” Furthermore, there is a stated and explicit city council policy to distribute housing sites equitably throughout the city. This motion merely piles on to the already inequitable distribution of 40% of approved HEU sites along a single, one mile corridor of the city’s 214 miles of streets. Most of this housing is adjacent to a narrow local collector road that was never designed for the existing traffic volume let alone with the added volume from an additional 1000 housing units.
- This action was an extremely poor example of transparency in government which is a key objective of the city council.
You had our full attention before and now that will be amplified. We ask the council to reject development of L-7 and consider turning it into a park as mitigation for the excessive housing element impact on Quail Gardens Drive.
If you have strong opinions on this matter the leadership team suggests that you write, contact or appear at a city council meeting to share your concerns.
We will continue to keep you updated as this situation and the issue on traffic mitigation continue to evolve.