Ponto is Carlsbad s Southern Coastal Gateway Questions for Carlsbad City Council Members and Candidates (July 1, 2016) 1. Are you aware of the 3 proposed developments in Ponto? What are your most important concerns about development of Ponto? Yes. My greatest concern is that there is no overarching Specific Plan for the area, only a loosely held, malleable "vision" that has no status under State planning law. Given there are multiple projects proposed for this area, and one of the developments, the Ponto West portion (commercial), will be sold off once entitlements are obtained, it would be beneficial to all parties involved if there was a complete, unified, and legally enforceable Specific Plan that included residents' input from its inception. Also, I am concerned about the inclusion of timeshares in the Ponto South Four Seasons Resort proposal and the possible Air B & B potential in the residential portion of the developments. Timeshares are not counted in our Growth Management Plan numbers, despite representing a burden to our infrastructure, facilities, and impacting residents' lived experiences. The market health, viability, and current demand for timeshares in Carlsbad needs to be assessed before approving more. Given the popularity of the surrounding beaches and the lack of parking for these beaches, parking and traffic are also issues that concern me in this area. In addition, I am concerned with the increase in density proposed by the residential project (from 19 units per acre to 23 units per acre), the building height increases, and the attempt to decrease building setbacks. Finally, I am concerned with the burden that will be placed on our local schools by the additional residential. We need to consider our already over-burdened schools surrounding the Ponto area and ensure that we are aligned with local School Boards to ensure that our children's education are met and/or exceeded and that their learning environments are not overcrowded, but healthy and productive. 2. How would you initiate the conversation with the community in order to engage the public early on and through these development review processes in Ponto? The first step I would take in initiating a conversation with the community in order to engage the public early on in any development review process would be active outreach that begins with asking questions. Not a survey crafted to get the answers that benefit an already developed plan, but questions meant to open dialogue with the community.
Active outreach goes beyond simply raising a sign on the intended property. Active outreach is about engaged contact and a certain % of all affected communities should be engaged (not simply notified) prior to the end of outreach. The City has a far reaching, effective public relations arm that typically serves to boost the Carlsbad brand for tourism, business, and to generate positive citizen opinion. This tool, along with active outreach, should be deployed to inform and engage citizens on impending development, prior to plans being submitted to the Planning Department for review (of a certain size and/or if there is a zoning change required). Developers' first contact with the City should be transparent, accessible, and open to the public, not simply open to those stakeholders identified by the City. Stakeholders should include community groups, faith-based groups, school boards, environmental groups, Coastal Commission representatives (when appropriate), and residents (renters and homeowners) as well as developers, business owners, and land owners. The intent here is not to simply notify the public of a development that has been submitted, but to provide balanced and objective information about a potential development and the reasons for pursuing the development, and to start a conversation with the community from inception. This is also the time when the process for reviewing the development should be established between the community, stakeholders, and the potential developer. It is essential to note here that different communities in Carlsbad will have different needs and desires for their development review processes and these should be respected. 3. What would you do in order to facilitate the conversation between developers and the community? One of the most important elements that is missing from recent conversations between developers and communities is an agreement between developers and communities that holds both parties accountable to the conversations and meetings they have. Currently, these conversations are informal, not required, and with no guaranteed outcome for the community. A formal Community Benefits Agreement, facilitated by the City Attorney, City Staff, and an ombudsman (see below) would ensure the community's requests are being respected and incorporated. In addition to this, I have prioritized developing a position for an independent ombudsman position with the City to ensure residents in Carlsbad have a trusted advocate should there be need for mediation and/or recourse. The model of engaging the community I espouse is built on the premise, not of seeking to attain community "buy-in" of a project, but of building community ownership of a project. Essentially, any developer or project is treated as a guest in the home of the community. Whether this guest is welcome or not will depend on a process that is shaped by this core understanding: The community is not the recipient of the outcome, but the producer of the outcome.
There is a spectrum of community engagement that ranges from informing the community, to empowering the community. The most important element in meaningful community engagement is trust: trust in local government, trust in the process, and trust in the community. 4. Are you aware of the previously proposed Ponto Beachfront Village Vision Plan from 2005? Yes. What are your most important features of the Plan? i. Growth Management Plan control point for residential is 19 units per acre and the building height limits. ii. Enhanced Beach Access iii. Convenient and plentiful parking iv. Community Trails System v. Pedestrian Underpass to the West vi. Emphasis on pedestrian and bike friendly transit 5. How do you see the coordination of proposed private and public development, infrastructure and public amenities at Ponto happening? I see a highly organized, responsible, and effective effort being put forth by the Ponto community already, but the community needs to be empowered by the City to have actual decision-making authority in some instances, including a say in the coordination of infrastructure and public amenities prior to development. One of the ways this can be accomplished is through the above mentioned Community Benefits Agreement and having an effective, independent advocate, like an ombudsman. 6. What do you think are the most important infrastructure and public amenity issues at Ponto? The most important infrastructure issues at Ponto include: safe traffic control measures that ensure the safety of pedestrians and bike users, traffic mitigation, proper sewer and water connectivity to outlying private properties, and safe pedestrian crossing to the beach at multiple places along Carlsbad Blvd leading to enhanced beach access points, more parking for visitors and residents. The most important public amenity issues include the need for unique, low-key dining (quality, dining that isn't too costly), art gallery space, and space that will support local business owners and provide equally low-key, unique shopping for residents, recreational areas that highlight and celebrate the area's unique connection and sense of place being
near both the ocean and riparian lands, more public restrooms along the beach, enhanced beach access points, authentic open space preservation, community gathering areas, and added trails that increase trail connectivity to existing trail system in Carlsbad. 7. As Carlsbad s southern coastal gateway, what is important to you to see at this City gateway? Carlsbad's southern coastal gateway should communicate our City's core values at first sight, specifically: Ponto should impact those on arrival with aesthetics that reflect a small town, beach community feel, while strongly emphasizing our commitment to our community goal of 40% open space, celebrating our unique relationship to our wetlands, and prioritizing the safety of those who bike and walk in the area. I am not in favor of crafting our southern coastal gateway in a way that communicates "luxury resort town." 8. What do you think is the existing and desired community ambiance at Ponto and South Carlsbad? The existing ambience at Ponto is incomplete and cut off. Fences line the neglected open space along Carlsbad Blvd and it is difficult for residents to get to the greatest public amenity of all: the ocean! Despite this, the communities in and around Ponto are filling with active, young families who have children that have prioritized the need for recreational space nearby and access to our beaches. My answer to number 7 above is reflective of the conversations I have had with members in the Ponto community about the desired ambience. We simply have to keep listening to those who know Ponto best: the residents. 9. What is your position on the current state of Carlsbad beaches and what would you do to improve them? As a long-time surfer, I have spent quite a bit of time on and around Carlsbad's beaches. Also, I worked for a time with State Parks and Recreations division, so I have spent time learning about the inner machinations of the Carlsbad/State relationship while also working at our State campgrounds (including South Carlsbad) and our State beaches (including South Ponto). Later, I was promoted to running the State's local whale watching program and then worked directly with the sector Rangers and Supervisor at the State's North Sector Office in Carlsbad, so I have experience and relationships with the folks who manage and maintain our beaches in Carlsbad, the majority of which are State owned. Very little has changed in the decades I have surfed in Carlsbad, except that there are far
more people who visit our beaches today than yesteryear. This means more traffic, more trash, a greater need for public restrooms, trash and recycling receptacles, parking, and lifeguard services. Improving our beaches necessitates a highly effective, congenial relationship between the State and the City. The City can and should do more to facilitate a better relationship with the State in order to provide more restrooms, to keep our beaches clean, and most importantly, safe for residents and visitors. No excuses. This is a high priority for me. Our beaches, our residents, and our visitors deserve better from the City of Carlsbad when it comes to our beaches. 10. How do you see working with the state to improve our beaches? The time I spent working for California State Parks and Recreations in Carlsbad helped me to develop a unique insight into the State/City relationships surrounding our beaches and campgrounds. This experience also helped me build the necessary relationships with those who will be essential in the process of improving our beaches. I also bring a unique perspective to City Hall, given I have spent the majority of my life in and around our beaches and many others. Improving our beaches for our residents and visitors alike is a high priority for me. 11. How would you handle the community concerns over possible vacation rental and potential parking issues at Ponto? Given the developer for the residential portion of the development will be handing over the parcel once they have garnered the entitlements on the land, the ongoing engagement with the community with whomever manages the property will be essential. One way to limit vacation rentals is to have an HOA or a similar association in place that disallows vacation rentals in the development. The City should help to enforce this rule. Parking issues in this area are an issue now and they will continue to be an issue as time goes on and the development progresses to completion. The best source of information about the parking behavior of visitors in the area currently, are the residents. We need to ensure that the variances in the development provide for the proper number spaces for expected visitors who will compete with residents for the development. There should be a traffic study done for the full expected increase in traffic, including a parking study, before any plans are adopted. This, again, speaks to the importance of and need for a Specific Plan that is legally recognized in State planning law for the entire area.