Proposed North County Development Raises Environmental Questions

For those who recall the controversy over the one Paseo development in Carmel Valley, this may sound money. The Carlsbad city Council is set to vote on the plan next Tuesday. The simple players are once again a well-financed developer and a community group with concerns about the impact of the new complex. KPBS North County Bureau chief gives us a visit back on report. As You Dr., North up Interstate 5, you pass it feels were strawberries are still harvested and sold fresh. It's here and LA-based developer is planning to build a new outdoor mall on the South Shore. It's called the 8515 plan. Crews explain that's because 85% of the 200+ property will be preserved as open space. We're going to acquire the property and dedicated to Conservancy and make it publicly accessible and responsible and thoughtful way so public can view and enjoy this property while protecting the habitat. The developer has done a great deal of public outreach. With the Strawberry Fields preserved, public trails and viewpoints. Last month a percent of the city of Carlsbad with more than 20,000 signatures. Environmental advocate says many people had no idea what they were signing when they put their names on the initiative. People signed the petition thinking they were saving the Strawberry Fields. With the signature gatherers forgot to tell them is there's a 585,000 ft.² shopping center attached to what they thought was sitting the Strawberry Fields, they didn't mention that. The developers talking less about the 15% of the land to be developed. They said the development will reflect what the company knows the Carlsbad residents want. A great place to spend time with friends and family, great character, a lot of community events like movies in the part, concerts in the park, yoga in the part. We're all about creating an environment for the community to come together. The specific plan includes conceptual information such as a 35 foot height limit. There are no engineering drawings to show resident exactly what they can expect. I collect enough signatures for citizens initiative, the developer is aborted a rigorous review of California's environmental quality act or -- environmental attorney says the company Supreme Court would an ordinance passed by citizens initiative is not subject to review. Until now she says the review has been a stringent litmus test that could take more than a year to complete. It costs money to change a project into litigation measures. I think now that there's this loophole for developers and now the Supreme Court has made clear and available, that's why more and more people are going to be trying to take advantage of it. Crusoe says it's true the citizens initiative is approved the Carlsbad development is exempt from review. Once the project is voted on, if it's approved it cannot be changed. Caruso affiliated being so focused on delivering to the community exactly what they want, we can voluntarily to all sorts of things to make sure the ultimate plan is consistent with what to the committee wants to see. Diane Nygard is not reassured that the developer and not the city can make changes to the plan after it's approved. Is Caruso's way or the highway, new opportunity for any of the normal give-and-take that makes a project a better it with the community. They said developer it's cheaper for initiative rather than go to review. The ball is in Carlsbad court the city must choose initiative or put it on the ballot. If it chooses the public roads, the city, not the developer would foot the bill for the special election. Joining me now are Bryce Ross, vice president of acquisitions and development, Caruso Affiliated and De'Ann Weimer, member, Citizens for North County. Welcome. This week the signatures on the initiative were affirmed by the Carlsbad city Council so that vote is set for Tuesday. Limited to the heart of some of the issues. One note of clarification, on the Caruso affiliated website it states Rick Caruso said the company would pay for a special election if indeed it did come to that, is that still the company's position? Our position is and has been the 8515 plan won't cost the citizens a penny. I don't believe we have specifically addressed a special election as the city Council it has not made a decision on that but when that question is asked we will certainly provide an answer. Your company has been open about an attempt to bypass the environmental review by getting a citizens initiative approved. Are you concerned this 8515 product would not survive a review? With in Carlsbad for over three years conducting community outreach, we've met with literally thousands of residents. This week up to 6000 residents have been met with. The plan is a community-based plan is solely based on all the input and the back we received for over three years. Has literally why it's called the 8515 plan. We learn Carlsbad residents love open space. They went to see the land protected. For 70 years, it has been inaccessible to the public. There are no trespassing signs up and down the road. 8515 plan to open that up for residents as well as bringing another 15% in open air a pedestrian family shopping and dining promenade the Trinity to enjoy. Another important point we've been doing is be as transparent as we possibly can. Everything about the plan has been available to the city to review for city residents to review. Another reason we're here today is as we want to make sure people have the facts. What you will hear today was point after point of inaccuracy. We will get to that. Is that you are feeling this project would survive a secret review -- if it went to that. What the city found in the report in the environmental analysis we provided is not only consistent with the plans development standards but equivalents to what would have otherwise been the outcome of a review. Opponents claim people that gather those 20,000 signatures it didn't tell the signers of the truth. To know what the signature gatherers sent people? Yes. Results of that 20,000 residents sign their name support of the position. 20 people under 20,000 asked to have their signatures withdrawn. We think that speaks volumes in the numbers speak for themselves. Did the signature gathering campaign cost 20,000 -- $20 a signature? I think it was less than that. Deanne, let me go to you. I was going to ask you the complaint filed are about 20 Rick comes to people claiming their misled in the way -- and what they were told when they sign the petition? I don't know the number received by the registrar's office. I know the city Council received -- when they presented their positions to the city, they didn't tell anyone what time does going to occur in one thought it would occur later so we thought we had a deadline to get these and. For only 10 that made in on time. That doesn't mean there weren't lots more that weren't counted because they didn't meet the deadline. Whitey think 70 people were misled? I can read to you some of the examples. When I was approached with the signature gatherers, they told me this was -- I said it didn't -- they told me that review is not. I had frequent encounters with other people that were told if you sign a document, the city Council will be able to just make this decision, you don't want them to just make this decision that important. You want the right to vote and that's what people thought they were getting. Caruso claims the opponents want to review. So they can sue and make money from that process. To suspect that the motivation of anyone involved in the opposition? What happens they keep citing what happened in Arcadia. Depositions they face here is all 501(c)(3) organizations, all nonprofits. It's of the League of Women Voters. It's the Sierra Club. Is an organization I'm involved with. Then of these organizations or the boogie bear they would dealing with in Arcadia, will we stoop at some point? I don't know. Is that our intent? Our intent is to make the process better and have something that works this committee. There have been watercolor renderings of the project. Why are there known detailed renderings or engineering drawings of the proposed shopping mall that 585,000 585,000 ft.² shopping mall? I would like to counter what was just said that's actually not correct. As you know, other groups in the community have sued schools, Army Corps projects,. That wasn't the question. This is just another tactic they used to extract things they want out of projects and also for their financial gain. I can't that let go. I will let you have a chance. Your question about the project itself, people in the community that come to our meetings, absolutely show pictures and designs of what the architectural look like and what retailers look at. We have a slight -- site plan on my. Why do people keep saying there are no renderings or engineering drawings to show them exactly what this shopping mall is going to look like? First of all, that's an inaccuracy as well. This is at a specific plan to use document. Is there underground parking? No. Is a parking structure above ground completely used for commercial. If you look for the zoning today, this 50 acres along the five. We're cutting then have to 26 acres and all the parking except for parking to make agriculture sustainable is within the serving commercial designation. There's three small parking lot. There's one for the market, there's one for the table restaurant. Over the years, agriculture in this property. Are telling us we can go on a website and see a proposed rendering of what this shopping mall looks like? Yes. Not rendered site plan, what the shopping mall looks like? The rendered site plan is online. If you come to our community meetings you can see all the pictures we received input on the community of what they would like to see the stores and buildings look like. We've not yet released elevations but what's important is the will be of a coastal design and architecture style or they will be slow in scale. All the buildings would be totally unique and reflect the cost of lifestyle. Deanne, you're saying you want to to object to the idea or the point that many of these organizations have sued in the past in order to change proposals to make them more amenable to what the needs they want. There has been a history and Carlsbad of people involved in environmental issues working to the planning department and on occasion when we feel they have moved from the design or guidance provided, we have a deep filed a lawsuit to change that. Sometimes that has been affected and sometimes not. It has created a well that it planning process and we think that is something the city of Carlsbad should be proud of. What they keep saying is Westfield is behind all of this organization which is another mall developer within the committee. West of has nothing to do with any of our organizations. What is the motivation of your group deed oppose any development here? No. I've been talking about the 501(c)(3). We work within the city planning process. With this initiative, what they had done is politicized the process within the city of Carlsbad and created a two tiered planning approach for the city. That means it you can buy out of the requirements because you have enough money to push forward with an initiative, you don't have to follow them. If you don't have enough money to buy out of the initiative requirements, you have to go through and follow them. We think that's not very democratic. We don't think a two-tiered system of regulation and guidelines for community work. That's a bad precedent. Price, Caruso has done so much work with the community during this year's long process of developing this plan. I'm thinking of this proposed San Diego Stadium in Mission Valley. There's a picture of it, people can see what it's going to look like. Why is no rendering or architectural developed rending to show the city Council before their boat how this open shopping mall is going to do? Like I said, the 85 the 8515 plan is a land-use plan. Specific plans don't include elevations for project. Our community outreach continues. We're having community meetings every single week the past three years, those continue this weekend next week. If you are to come to one of our meetings which thousands of residents have, they have seen imagery that shows what the buildings will look like and we're getting their feedback some people like the style some people don't. We want to make sure we have a really good pulse and what the community wants to see. That community outreach process will continue to make sure we got it right. We're asking the city Council to vote on the site and see. No, they are putting on a land-use plan and what requires as we proceed forward, the city will review everything to make sure it's not only consistent with the general plan an update, but all the other city planning and development standards. We have to be consistent and they cannot issue permits or allow us to proceed unless that process has been met through the city. In addition to that, we also have to meet the coastal permit requirements so that has a completely following and review process after the price -- process. When we talk about the compositions taking place. -- Conversations taking place. They show storefronts of various stores around the country and ask which style do people like. We wanted to see when they first came to us and that we're going to have a dialogue with real issues. I will give you an example. They have run out that's going to come from the parking lot that's going to be heavy with oil and gasoline. Then they had the run up the agricultural. Does require two different types of water quality of the approaches. They haven't sat down with us to discuss what types of purchase they will use. They don't want to go into that type of detail. If everyone would read the 9212 report that the city commission and go to the actual third-party report, they will see terms the say we cannot assesses, it's a concept, not a real program. My understanding is is going to be a new said that this afternoon by the opponents of this particular 8515 plan. Will run that information on our newscast this evening. I have to end it here. I know there's so much more to talk about but I want to reiterate this vote will happen on Tuesday in the city of Carlsbad. The Carlsbad city Council is going to vote on this and if they do not, they have two options. They can approve the plan at right or put it to a public vote. We will continue to follow this story. Bryce Ross, vice president of acquisitions and development, Caruso Affiliated And De'Ann Weimer, member, Citizens for North County thank you for speaking with us.