Every 75 to 100 years communities get a chance to make a significant difference in their built environment,
As examples, it was 1937 when the current road configuration that we drive on today was installed. In 1937 they widened US Hwy 101 from 2 lanes to 4. When we completed the downtown Encinitas streetscape we replaced crumbling sidewalks from 1927.
The conditions in Leucadia in 1937 were that Leucadia was a sparsely populated rural outpost of San Diego, an area around Hwy 101 (very few buildings) and the burgeoning adoption of the automobile. Hwy 101 was a US Hwy designed for a speed of 70mph and cars were king.
The conditions today in Leucadia are vastly different than in 1937 over 80 years go.
Today Hwy 5 is the Interstate Hwy where cars are king, Leucadia is now a community with 15k to20k residents- a real vibrant and diverse neighborhood where people live, work and play and Hwy 101 is the main local road, traversing this neighborhood, not a state Hwy or an Interstate Hwy.
So here we are. We are at that point in time every 75 to 100 years where we get to make a significant difference in our built environment. It a huge challenge and a great honor for all to be participating in this effort. Our role is to successfully interpret our community today, our opportunities and constraints, and the gifts that the land, the buildings and the people of Leucadia have to offer. To apply a road design that best represents our interpretation of our community and city.
Like a river, no two shores are alike, for a road no two streetscapes are alike. We can learn from others but the key is interpreting our stretch of the river so to speak.
Today, Leucadia is vastly different than it was in 1937. The community question is how do we best balance this road for Leucadia 2009, and for the Leucadia of the next 70 years?
To quote a colleague: "If you design for the traffic, you will get more traffic. If you design for the people who live there, you will get a neighborhood.
I believe if you design the road and keep the road in it's current configuration, that
I believe today that Leucadia can balance the road to embrace the current life of the community. That a walkable, bike-able, drivable road with a design speed of 30mph can happen and that Leucadia can enjoy their commercial corridor in a manor similar to Downtown Encinitas which went through this same exact process in 2001-2002.
I think the results in downtown Encinitas speak for themselves.
Cheers
Peder
Long over due is Leucadia for a nice Hwy 101.
ReplyDeleteA nicely written article that explains in simple terms the importance of the Streetscape.
Support the streetscape.
Attend the workshops and tell the city you want more for Leucadia.
More trees,
More walkability,
More safety,
Slower speeds,
More parking.
More for Leucadia.
Its a beach community for Gods sakes. Lets make an environment were you want to walk and bike to the coastal shops and beach and not be afraid for your kids safety.
ReplyDeleteSupport the streetscape and lets slow down traffic to 25 to 30 mph along the coast.
Slow down and enjoy the scenery, its the reason we live here. The Beach.
Very good perspective. Thank you for sharing JP and thank you Peder for this insight.
ReplyDeleteIt is encouraging that the new Chamber of Commerce CEO appears more supportive of Streetscape in that article in this week's Coast News and acknowledges:
“I will say that the overall concept is quite good” and, “I was surprised to find that when this project was previously discussed, this Chamber’s management was quick to voice its opinions against the plan, with comments that did not seem to be entirely based upon facts.”
Support the Streetscape.
No matter what you feel about the Streetscape options, one has to admit that Peder writes a pretty darn good essay. Genuine, yet to the point. I think we are lucky to have someone of his caliber working with us. He practices what he preaches, a rare individual.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that in 1960 we had a huge decision about where to put the I5. What we ended up with made the Eckes happy.
ReplyDelete8:11-What are you talking about?
ReplyDeletePeder is paid by the taxpayer. That sounds an awful lot like advocacy for Alternative 4. Who authorized Peder to advocate for Alternative 4?
ReplyDeleteTo quote Peder, "no two streetscapes are alike." That won't be true once we copy Birdrock.
To quote Peder, "Today, Leucadia is vastly different than it was in 1937." These days we have a much bigger population and most residents work in other cities. Peder drives from Carlsbad to work in Encinitas just like most people in Leucadia drive somewhere else to work. We get there on lanes for cars & BUSES and will continue to do so no matter how much we want to pretend that isn't true.
Peder also writes, To quote a colleague: "If you design for the traffic, you will get more traffic. If you design for the people who live there, you will get a neighborhood.
Peder is not a Planner, he is a pastry chef who has friends on the council willing to give him $100,000 a year of your taxdollars to control the public dialogue.
If we ignore the need for road capacity we will not deter all of those people driving down the coast from Ponto or Peder's former redevelopment district where more and more people are being packed in. Locals drive on roads too. Everybody has to get to work in a timely manner.
I didn't see anyone on this blog fighting all of the Carlsbad high density development or fighting to put more lanes on the I5. Peder didn't write great essays about how to fund I5 improvements or about fighting the overdevelopment of Carlsbad.
Peder wouldn't get paid to do that?
this sounds a lot like Lynn or 753-
ReplyDelete'Peder is paid by the taxpayer. That sounds an awful lot like advocacy for Alternative 4. Who authorized Peder to advocate for Alternative 4?"
I think this is a great statement. Alternative 4 is for the taxpayers. The naysayers want to do the least possible which is bad for the Leucadia Taxpayers.
8:33
ReplyDeleteWell, alternative 4 does deal with the needs of our community.
I have not seen Alternative 5, but if it does not offer the solutions that 4 does, I would reject that option and still support 4.
Peder's comments support reality and we should support that.
I do not believe there is any attempt to "copy Birdrock". Using proven cityscape tools to deal with solutions to our issues effectively seems prudent.
Thank you Peder.
Quaaludia is a cultural wasteland.
ReplyDeleteWe need more doublewides to house the morons that don't want to evolve.
I want a nice Leucadia too but don't want some transplant living in Carlsbad to tell me what is good for my home town. This guy is just grease for development wanting another feather in his cap.
ReplyDeleteWheres he from, Canada?
To 8:33
ReplyDeletePeder is a planner on the SD Planning Commission. He was chosen for his talents, knowledge, backround of successes, energy, fairness and caring. We are fortunate to have his input.
Hey anonymous 10:13am the biggest supporter of the streetscape lives in a doublewide.
ReplyDelete10:49-
ReplyDeleteNo transplant from Carlsbad is telling our City what to do.
We Leucadians have politely requested the City to address the unsafe ugly property devaluing crappy street to better our Quality of life.
What the hell are you smoking?
anon 1108,
ReplyDeletePlanning commissioners are not professional planners. They are citizen representatives who put value judgments into the planning process. Staff planners should not do that and this is why we have planning commissions. Professional planners should provide impartial analysis and execute the policy decisions that our representatives agree upon. When talking about Encinitas, Mr. Norby is city hall staff.
Thank God. He's a bright guy.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly the City is moving forward with the streetscape and most Leucadians greatly appreciate it.
there are always the freaks that scream about any change even when its for the better. These are the type of people that if they had cancer they would scream at scientist for inventing a cure. Any change is bad, even a cure for cancer.
"Walk Score" fun website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.walkscore.com/get-score.php?
street=1008+N+Coast+Hwy+101
+92024&go=Go
Try that Village Park.
That cancer analogy was maybe the worst analogy in the history of analogies.
ReplyDeleteWondering where the nay sayers were. I was at the educational street scape workshop yesterday and found the workshop quite informative. Much was explained by those involved in the Birdrock street scape project questions were asked and answered and much was learned. I now have a question where here the nay sayers, Rick Ray 753 Lynn ?
ReplyDelete9:37-
ReplyDeleteFact: Some times the truth hurts.
The anti change crowd in Leucadia is the most ridiculous non factual crowd I have ever listened too.
ReplyDeleteThere are two strong environmental points that I would like to make advocating for plan 4.
ReplyDelete1. The total stretch of the streetscape in Leucadia is 2.5 miles.
Assuming a one lane north config, for 2 miles, with a half mile of 2 lane config approaching the intersections of La Costa Ave and Leucadia Blvd. this is 10,560 liner feet multiplied by at least 12 feet of width which give you 126,720 sq. ft of what was once asphalt and impermeable surface which will now be pervious and planted with threes and shrubs.
This is 3 acres of new pervious area with landscaping that will go a long way in assisting the flooding problem in Leucadia. The plants and trees suck hugh volumes of water form the ground and the soil soaks up water as apposed to asphalt which sheets it of..
The main cause of flooding in our urban areas is asphalt and concrete and this plan will remove over 3 acres of asphalt and return it to plants and people. If you count the new center landscaped median in the south section, and improved landscaping on the ewest edge fo the street the total is well over 4acres of impermeable asphalt replaced with pervious and planted with threes and shrubs.
The recovery of over 4 acres of asphalt is huge and not talked about very much.
2. The co2 from cars stopping and starting at either streetlights or stoplights is far worse than a car going through a roundabout at a constant slower speed. I don’t know how much but I do know that the starting and stoping of cars is the worst pollution times for cars (co2 and brake pad dust) as opposed to cruising speed.
Just two more point to ponder
Anon 3:58 said:
ReplyDelete"Planning commissioners are not professional planners. They are citizen representatives who put value judgments into the planning process. Staff planners should not do that and this is why we have planning commissions. "
sure.
I bet Pam Slater-Price and the other Supervisors just go to the white pages and pick out any Joe citizen where their fingers land on the page to be their planning commissionersrepresnting a county of 3 million people.
Experiance, character and abilities have nothing to do with it.
Thank you for serving Peder.
9:34
ReplyDeleteGreat points and something else to look forward to. How did I miss those acres of fresh ground gained with the Streetscape? Now if only we'd retain half of the 500 million gallons of rain that goes back to the lagoon and ocean every time we get a 2" storm, we could make great use of a valuable resource we now ignore in this desert.