Carlsbad Village Plaza project approved amid protests

The City Council approved the project to the dismay of residents; council slams state legislators for overreach and overriding the authority of local governing bodies

The Carlsbad City Council approved the redevelopment of the Carlsbad Village Plaza during Tuesday’s meetings. Courtesy photo

CARLSBAD — A heated, emotional and marathon meeting resulted in the approval of a controversial redevelopment project in Carlsbad Village on Tuesday.

The City Council approved the Carlsbad Village Plaza mixed-use project, 4-1 with Councilwoman Melanie Burkholder voting no in protest, on the southwest corner of Carlsbad Village Drive and Interstate 5. As a result, the council also approved a policy change to strip the City Planner from being the final authority to declare California Environmental Quality Act exemptions. The council will assume that power once the item returns on or before Nov. 12.

The council also added several conditions to the project such as all frontage improvements must be constructed concurrently to the residential; development of the commercial spaces must begin within 12 months following the issuance of the final permits; unbundle parking costs from rent; and the developer will provide a one-time payment of $50,000 in transit subsidies for future tenants.

“The property is zoned for the apartments,” Mayor Keith Blackburn said. “This is what rubs me wrong. The state has come in and started bullying us. I think it’s overreach by the state. We have a Growth Management Plan our residents voted on and to meet infrastructure needs, but the state doesn’t care.”

The project

The project by Tooley Interests will demolish the 58,735 square-foot plaza, where about a dozen businesses reside, and construct two, one-story commercial buildings with a combined 13,800 square feet. The property was acquired in 2021 for $23.5 million, Tooley Principal Patrick Tooley said during the July 17 Planning Commission meeting.

Additionally, there would be 218 multi-family apartments in two five-story buildings, a five-story parking structure with 289 spaces and 51 additional surface spots on 4.12 acres.

Project Manager Jonathan Frankel said the 8,000-square-foot building can house up to seven businesses, while the 5,800-square-foot facility can sustain another business, which they are targeting to be a small grocer.

The project also intends to widen the sidewalks along Carlsbad Village Drive and position the parking structure along I-5 to provide a buffer to the residences, Frankel said.