Encinitas plan amendments would change law of land
And, tonight at the city council meeting there will be a discussion about our new, frustrating gridlock we are experiencing. We've had hints of this gridlock coming for the last five years but it is now finally becoming an all day/everyday event. Many of you readers warned about this gridlock for years and years but were brushed off as paranoid chicken littles by the powers that be.
The Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association will be making a plea to the city council tonight to please do something about the increasingly dangerous and dysfunctional Leucadia coast highway corridor, aka The Gauntlet.
NBCsandiego.com story (with video) about traffic and the city council meeting story video
2005 photo of southbound morning traffic gridlocked all the way past Grandview St on the Leucadia coast highway.
Leucadia Blog: Six roundabouts are proposed on Rancho Santa Fe Road
Excellent Post JP-
ReplyDeleteToo bad the men on council don’t seems to get it. They are planning on widening and opening the flood gates even wider to Carlsbad when our existing roadways can't handle the existing load. Why would you increase Olivenhain to 6 lanes to accommodate Carlsbad commuters at the expense of all of Encinitas Residents and businesses?
If you widen Olivenhain Road heading into Encinitas, El Camino Real and Leucadia Blvd. will get increased traffic. The surrounding property values and quality of life including our jewel Encinitas Ranch golf course be lowered and Carlsbad commuters will benefit without any costs to them.
In fact, the City of Carlsbad is planning on reducing La Costa Avenue from Rancho Sante Fe Road to El Camino Real to 2 lanes, while encouraging Encinitas to widen Olivenhain to 6 lanes. Even through Carlsbad Council approves the massive development; they realize that wide heavy traffic roads lower property values. La Costa Golf course would benefit by the reduction of lanes on La Costa Avenue.
Encinitas Ranch golf course and all the neighborhoods and business along El Camino Real, Encinitas Boulevard, Sante Fe, Manchester, and Leucadia Boulevard will suffer from the widening of Olivenhain Road to 6 lanes.
I thought staff and council is supposed to look out for what’s in the best interest of Encinitas residents, not Carlsbad residents?
I wonder if all the Home Owner Associations within Encinitas Ranch and the Board of Directors of Encinitas Ranch Golf Course are aware that their own City is about to sell them out? I wonder if someone has told them about the plans?
What are they thinking by proposing the widening of Olivenhain Boulevard to 6 lanes????
Now even more Carlsbad commuters cutting through Encinitas to avoid I5.
ReplyDeleteI can't waite to see how big the backup at the Manchester interchange gets in the morning when they widen Olivenhain and encourage more cut through Carlsbad, San Marcos, and Vista traffic. Maybe we can get the backup all the way up El Camino Real through Encinitas to La Costa Avenue. Wont that be special!!!
Thanks Council. You sure are planning well these days. NOT!!!
This could be funny in a sick sense.
ReplyDeleteWith council opening the flood gate wide open, the morning backup through Encinitas will get closer to mirroring the backup on I5. In that case, Morning Traffic will back up past La Costa all the way up to Poinsettia along El Camino Real and HW101! All those testy commuters better go buy some Enya or meditation tapes to play in the gridlock to keep from blowing an aneurysm
As I have said before, Passive Resistance DOES work. This site is great for venting, however, unless you are willing to Do something, Council will just laugh and go ahead with what they want. We are NOT newsworthy folks!! We must do something that the media can film, write about etc. 2008 is a long time away. So to wait for a diferent Council, if we even get one, may be too late for some of these projects. I even had to ask a secretary at City Hall for an appointment to see Teresa. Used to be I could just have a cup of coffee with her. So much for just hanging out at Danny's former tool shop. I'll bet David Meyers didn't need an appointment. Sorry Teresa, just telling it like it is. Besides Teresa and Maggie are just 2 out of 5, and the other 3 are the "boys club". Why are we so sure it will change? If you don't want to take some action on what you profess to believe in, then keep posting away and wait for another Orange County. I am afraid I have to go with the RSPB on this one. Either DO something or quit complaining. Vent all you want on the blog. Do someting as well if you have any courage of your convictions. If everyone gets crazy enough I make more money. So vent away. In the meantime, I will continue on my quest to search out the truth regarding some things that are definitely not right at the City. When my facts are gathered I will post and let you know when to show up for oral communications at a future Council meeting. Perhaps you will see first hand what passive resistance can do.
ReplyDeleteRight on, Dr. Lorri!
ReplyDeleteI am watching the Council Meeting live. Many people spoke, from the General Public, objecting to the draft traffic circulation element report. Teresa Barth is trying to speak, although she has lost her voice, and is having trouble making her comments.
Consensus from public, the consultants traffic report employs outdated data and is severly flawed.
I am able to watch the city council meeting live at home while taking a dump. Perfect view from the sh!tter to the family room TV! God bless America!
ReplyDeleteYou think anyone at the meeting heard my insightful comments from the crapper through the TV?
I watched too. Where was Dr. Lorri?
ReplyDeleteI watched live as well. The jackasses were there clapping and demanding the city not receive the report. What retard orchistrated that? Receiving a report just means hearing it, and even we in TV land did that!
ReplyDeleteWe looked stupid and weak. The council sent the report to the traffic comission to die a slow death.
We lose.
I watched the dinosour traffic engineer with the old OC traffic model. His whole model is flawed in assuming that the freeway backup will go away once the widening occurs in 10 years. SANDAG has stated that the backups will be even worse than they are today. Hence, our freeway avoidance traffic (the term he used) Cut through traffic will always be here and will get worse. If its going to get better, no need to widden roads. The fact is, he along with every one else heading south is using Encinitas local roads as an I5 alternative. Council needs to make that stop. The way you do that is make it a longer trip to travel through Encinitas than stay on I5. More Stop signs. Less green lights for commuters in the morning. Why should Encinitas pay for the States traffic problems and lower all residents quality of life?
ReplyDeleteI would like to know What percentage of traffic on HW101, El Camino Real, and Manchester is freeway avoidance traffic (cut through)?
Everyone I know get off I5 going south and cuts through Encinitas and gets back on at Manchester. Why should we widen Olivenhain and encourage more?
anon 11:31
ReplyDeletemy "jack ass" was at that meeting, after a full day at work, standing up and informing council, once again, that citizens care about the community they live in. I'am grateful for anybody that takes the time to get involved. How does your comment do any good for the community?
I was not speaking of last night's council meeting when I mentioned I will be sharing something during oral communications in the near future. Avtually what I want to share has nothing to do with this particular issue, but perhaps a bigger issue. However, I cannot do this until I am "well armed" with facts, figurs, and some other interesting things to catch the attention of the media. I will let this blog know the day I decide to attend. My factfinding mission is still going on. I gues you will have to trust that I do not speak with "forked tongue" as some of my ancestors would say. I will tell you that MISSION IS IS STILL NOT accomplished so I never present anything before I can defend everythig I say with facts and figures. That is, IMHO the best way to do passive resistance.
ReplyDeleteOff topic, but it's our campus too.
ReplyDeleteA person spends $1 million dollars to investicate the theft of $350.
That rightfully causes huge problems for that person. The same person negotiate a $1 Million plus severance package from the board?
Geez, is this really America anymore?
The taxpayers are getting fleeced to the tune of multi millions!
The comments of traffic consultant Terry Austin of Austin-Foust were simply not believable. At one point he seemed to be saying that the outdated 2003 traffic counts didn't matter, as the computer model would give the same results for 2030 no matter which year was used. This is absurd. Any computer model needs to be constantly checked against reality to insure that is accurate. That means using the most recent data.
ReplyDeleteTowards the end, after public commentary, Austin started conceding the weakness of his assertions. Maggie caught him on the density bonus law when it causes big jumps in projected traffic. Teresa caught with the inconsistencies between his conclusions and the conclusions of the traffic study done for the Hall property. A public speaker caught him with differences between his report and the Scripps Hospital traffic study.
The three men seemed unprepared for the effective public criticism. Dan Dalager sat there the whole time without saying a single word. He looked glum. Jerome Stocks realizes he has been on the wrong side of many issues and is trying to reposition himself for reelection. Is he sincere?
The council ended up making the correct decision. Anonymous at 11:31 pm is uniformed. Receiving the report would have directed the staff to begin integrating it into the General Plan. With its wrong assumptions and old data, this would have allowed any kind of development without regards to the traffic impacts and allowed developers to bypass mitigation measures.
No one has mentioned that the council voted to spend an additional $100.000 to correct the Hall property Draft EIR. This is on top of almost $500,000 that has already been spent on the EIR. There were no public comments, but there were a lot of smug faces in the audience saying, "I told you so." Again this was due to effective public criticism.
Kevin Cummings was point on last night. Great Job Kevin!
ReplyDeleteMaybe a round about on manchester west of the freeway would allow traffic to make u-turn instead of having to go 1mile out of way to turn around.
ReplyDeleteI recorded the Council Meeting on DVR and could quickly get to the topics I was interested in. Great job City in finally making this happen. Our City should become more and more transparent!
ReplyDeleteI agree that our city should keep improving in transparency and accountability.
ReplyDeleteLegally, the city must provide 72 hour notice, minimum, to the general public for all agenda items, including closed session items. People are allowed to speak for three minutes, with time contributions before closed sessions, as well. Giving people a chance to participate will help repair council and staff's credibility, as Teresa Barth suggested.
This traffic "model" and report should have been presented, automatically, to the Traffic Commission, and the Planning Commission before going to full Council. Now it will go to the Traffic Commission for more public review.
ReplyDeleteGary Murphy gave effective and passionate comments. Kevin C. was clear, convincing and cute. With the exception of the consultant, the speakers did a great job, including Teresa and Maggie. The high priced consultant's report appeared to be very late and defective.
Ex Council Member Christy Guerin was on the Council traffic sub-committee of two that held this up, for years. I would have appreciated, and still would appreciate, a report from that sub-committee, too. Wasn't the other member Jerome Stocks? He should better understand about the discrepancies with some of the SANDAG data re the Hall Property EIR, and this Traffic Circulation Element "Update."
Update is not factually correct. Backdate would be a better fit, from what was presented.
Yes, it was Jerome Stocks who formed the subcommittee with Christie Guerin. The two stalled the report for over two years trying to spin it in favor of developers. It didn't work.
ReplyDeleteAt Wednesday's meeting Stocks didn't let out a peep about this, even when the public asked why there had been such a long delay. Then he made the motion to reject the report to further hide this fact. The man reeks of deception and insincerity. Let's all vote him out of office in 2008
Last Thursday night the Planning Commission voted to deny Stan Dotts his requests to upzone the property on Manchester and to change the zoning on the La Costa property......the next stop is the council.
ReplyDeleteI hope they start broadcasting the Planning Commission meetings, also.
ReplyDeleteThe more public input, the better. The more City transparency, accountability, the better.
I notice in the NCT that our City Manager, Phil Cotton is getting paid more than a State Assemblyman, or Jerry Brown, our State Attorney General.
Makes no sense!
Wonder why the previous city council voted to borrow $20,000,000 dollars? Next week the council will vote on whether to spend $4.3 million dollars to pay off some of the city's pension liabilities.
ReplyDeleteThe staff report is under the special joint meeting title.
Both unfunded pension obligations and unfunded health insurance obligations have to be put on the books by 2008. The first shoe has dropped. When will the second shoe drop?
ReplyDeleteI also wonder about how the Hall property park is to be funded. With estimated costs ranging from $20 million to $45 million, will the city float more Lease Revenue Bonds? Jerome Stocks, James Bond, and Dan Dalager are leading us to financial ruin with their grandiose ideas and extravagances.
anon 12:45- You want to know how the city is going to pay for all the spending? Well I'm gonna tell ya......by keeping Leucadia UGLY!!!!!
ReplyDeleteagain this morning I had to look at those UGLY guard rails on the center median. Don't think that's gonna change any time soon. but then again maybe the city will tell the residents and businesses of Leucadia if you don't like the rusty guard rails you can PAY TO HAVE THEM REMOVED!!! Oh trust me they will come up with some waay to cheat Leucadia and pay for there giant budget and retirement fiasco that is waiting in the wings!!!
Thanks James Bond- your good for nothing!!
Thanks Dan Dalager- you can't run a profitable sharpening bidness( that's how my black bum friends pronounce the work) And somehow the citizens of this town elected you TWO times to oversee millions of taxpayer dollars???
Thanks Jerome Stocks- As the ex-city manager sometimes posts- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,hohohohoh,hehehehehe.
Your comments on the flowers in Leucadia are worthless, they'ed more accepted if the FLOWERS HAD SOME WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RSPB
OMG, I was researching Austin-Foust for a traffic study they have done for SJC in south orange county. What is going on? Your problem is nearly identical to ours, including past council selling out our town as well. It is big $ from developers. Bless you all, we are all in this together. Please post whatever you can on the traffic study, we are currently trying to fight a mnd and this is just one more area that makes no sense.
ReplyDelete