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Real Estate—Carlsbad boards trend of mass-transit housing

CARLSBAD , Construction has started on the city’s first mass transit-oriented residential development, the builders said, and more projects are in the planning pipeline across the county.

When it is completed, the Poinsettia Cove neighborhood by Fieldstone Communities will be just a short walk to the Carlsbad train station and local transit center, said Andrew Murphy, San Diego regional manager for the Newport Beach developer.

The initial development is being built on 19 acres east of Carlsbad Boulevard and north of Poinsettia Lane.

“The neighborhood’s proximity to the transit center makes alternative transportation systems much more attractive to residents who might commute via local freeways,” Murphy said.

When completed, Poinsettia Cove will offer 117 Craftsman-style cottages and bungalows with 2,033 to 2,692 square feet of space with prices starting in the low $400,000s. The project has been in development for two years.

In 1998, a total of 90 acres were zoned by Carlsbad for residential and commercial development near the rail station, said Adrienne Landers of the city’s planning department.

“It was one of the last large pieces of vacant property adjacent to a rail stop in North County and we saw it as an opportunity to create a unique neighborhood designed to take advantage of its location,” Landers said.

A 90-unit affordable housing project and additional homes are also planned for the neighborhood, she said.

Several other transit-oriented developments are being studied for land owned by the North County Transit District. Sara Isgur, director of government consulting for San Diego-based MarketPoint Realty Advisors, said mixed retail and residential uses are being considered for land near train stations in Solana Beach and Oceanside.

“This type of land is a real asset for the transit district,” Isgur said. “If they ground lease the land they get an extra income stream. It also provides parking, shopping and day care close to where people would board public transit to go to work.”

The city of La Mesa pioneered the mixed-use, transit-oriented project in San Diego County several years ago when it backed a retail and residential project in its downtown, she said. La Mesa now is considering more combined residential and commercial development. This time, a site near Grossmont Center is under study, she said.

Carlsbad has started a nearly $4 million realignment and upgrade to the section of Carlsbad Boulevard adjacent to Poinsettia Cove, said Murphy of Fieldstone Communities. The improvements include bicycle lanes and trails.

Transit-oriented developments are being built across the United States, and the trend is accelerating, Murphy said.

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