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Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024
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With City Budgets in Place, Region Shifts Into Growth Mode

Now that all the cities in North County have approved budgets, new city council members and a new fiscal year, things are happening throughout the region.

Some examples:

• Escondido, the scene of significant construction, has seen a power plant open, a multimillion-dollar hospital begin to take shape, and a super auto dealer complex open. The $30 million, three-story project is the only one of its kind in the county. It is the region’s only Lexus dealership, and is rapidly becoming a tourist attraction.

Rumor has it that the third floor was designed to include a restaurant site, and it appears that one is indeed about to begin construction. The Ruth’s Chris Steak House chain is reportedly about to sign a lease for a 150-seat facility that could open late this fall. How many car dealerships have you seen lately that feature an upscale steak house?

• Oceanside continues to see high-end housing go up. The Montego condominiums on Pacific Street and Sportfisher Drive are high-priced, ranging from $975,000 to $1.94 million. The building they are in includes a 6,500-square-foot deck wired for sound, and offers ocean views.

• In Carlsbad, months of waiting to see what would be built at the intersection of Palomar Airport Road and El Camino Real has ended. The city’s Planning Commission approved a permit for a 153,974-square-foot Lowe’s home improvement center. In addition, the developer, San Diego-based Sudberry Properties, said that it would also build a bank and gas station on the site.

Many things – from housing, hotels, a health club, golf course, and the list on goes on – have been proposed for the site of the old Olympic Resort and Spa. The land is owned by the County of San Diego but is leased to KSL, aka KSL Resorts, owners of the Hotel del Coronado, La Costa Resort and Spa and several other visitor-oriented businesses in California.

The city has only one other big-box store, and that is Costco Wholesale Corp. near Interstate 5. In order to proceed, Lowe’s management has to get it approved by the Carlsbad City Council in the next few weeks. It is one of the prized locations for development due to its prime location.

• The City of Carlsbad also has begun discussions and the approval process for a multimillion-dollar aquatic park long awaited by the residents. The Alga Norte Aquatic Park has ranged from a $35 million project to as low as $15 million. The major difference in the two pricing structures is the number of pools to be built and whether or not it will have a wave pool. The prospects for use include a children’s-only pool, an adults-only pool, a family pool and even a competition pool complete with bleachers and lights to hold swimming competitions.

While the city was debating the issue for several years, Legoland California changed ownership and the Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd from Great Britain built a 40,000-square-foot aquarium and a 15 million-gallon water park with a wave pool. I guess you could say that patience pays off. The city aquatic facility can now go forward with a huge savings.

• The release this month of the long-awaited environmental impact reports on the widening of Interstate 5 from the Interstate 805 split to north of Oceanside has both opponents and proponents excited. The six-year, $40 million study includes relocation of 100 houses and a dozen or more businesses.

Four different options for the construction are highlighted. The first is creating a 14-lane interstate that costs $4.5 billion; the second is building a four-lane freeway and adding a lane in each direction on the outside for all travelers to use, ranging from $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion; and the third option calls for building only a four-lane car pool-type expansion, for $3.3 billion to $4.1 billion, depending on whether barriers are built and removable. The final option calls for doing nothing. Five public meetings are scheduled to be held on the EIR beginning July 27 at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center, located at 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive, in Encinitas. The construction completion date was not announced, but conservative estimates predict 2020-2022.

• A big “thanks for the support” goes to Supervisor Bill Horn for his generous donation of $103,300 to cover the costs of construction, installation, equipment, flag poles and flags for the Avenue of Flags in the Garden of Heroes cemetery now under construction at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The federal cemetery is set to open this fall to allow deceased military personnel and their spouses to be buried in a national cemetery, as the Fort Rosecrans facility in Point Loma is full. Horn is a combat veteran and knows what it would mean to a dead warrior to be interred with his peers.

• Last but not least, congratulations are in order to Tim Fennell and his team for putting on the highest attended 22-day San Diego County Fair in history, setting a record with 1.3 million-plus visitors. It goes without saying that the county fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds has grown to one of the premier events of its kind in the nation.

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