If you are interested in Encinitas Low Income Housing Funds, you would have to talk to the Housing Consultant who lives in Arcadia and paid herself from the Encinitas low income fund. There was a meeting in August, 2011 among stakeholders where the Planning Department passed out a memo that said that there would be no low income housing from this activity–only high density at market rate.

1) There were actually 250 people or so attending the second workshop. Participation was impressive.

2) It is wrong to assume that this exercise was about finding room for low-income housing. Units that will eventually be built will be offered at market rate, which in our town, is never affordable. The exercise was really about where to place high density (30 units per acre and above)apartment units throughout the city.

Many people attending the workshops were far from thrilled in this mandated process. My informal survey indicates many attending were really in favor of preserving our communities and not allowing up-zoning in any area.

This all exercise is really an attempt at throwing out our current general plan. It’s not an update. It’s a new plan that will scrap height limits, density limits (currently 25 units per acre for most of the city aside from the downtown specific plan), setbacks, lot coverage.
The look and feel of our 5 communities is at stake and that’s why so many people attended.

1. In ERAC commission meetings with the developer- dominated members, they are discussing 45 units per acre–not 25 or 30. These are numbers floated to make citizens beleive that they are being listened to.

2. Murphy stated that $900,000 was paid to MIG. He is aware that this was the FINAL payment that was given to them in August 2011, and that a 10% retainer had been paid on an ongoing basis. This also doesn’t take into account at least 3, dedicated staff members who have been paid continuously during for the past 3 years and many other expenses.

3. Encinitas planners do not have the academic credentials nor the ability to do this job. Where else could they or their managers who were overseeing them at the time keep their jobs?

The survey that the City Manager is conducting needs to focus on the ability of the Planning Department since they are the ones that most often tarnishes the reputation of the other City Departments. Believe it or not, there actually are some very dedicated City employees who work hard and are proud of what they do.

How many times are we paying for the General Plan Update?

1. When the original Housning Element was written and was voted down by council several years ago
2. When our various full-time staff members decided to become project managers and researchers–with no basic skills in those areas–and turned it over to MIG
3. When the MIG/Planning Department project was rejected.
4. When Peder Norby was brought in as a ‘facilitator.’

All the while, there are Planning employees who are making over $100,000 with all of the benefits to go with it, who have been here for years, yet we have no valid conclusions that can be drawn form these project that is well over $1,000,000.

Why not think of hiring competent people with the basic academic credentials and the ethics to do it correctly the 1st time instead of repeatedly putting unsuccesful people in charge.

If the City is going to try to insult citizens by saying that this bull that they are presenting has been vetted by a an Encinitas Planning Department that has advanced degrees–fire them all and hire competent people! They can’t award themselves academic credentials only because people have identified what a failure the General Plan Update process has been.