CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad City Council voted 3-2 on June 9 to move forward with roadway improvements along Carlsbad Boulevard in the Terramar area that would maintain the corridor’s existing lack of sidewalks while leaving open the possibility of adding them in the future.
The council directed staff to proceed with final design, environmental review and permitting for the Terramar Area Coastal Improvements Project, which will include resurfacing and restriping approximately one mile of Carlsbad Boulevard between Tierra Del Oro Street and Manzano Drive and a quarter-mile stretch of Cannon Road between Carlsbad Boulevard and Avenida Encinas.
Transportation Director Tom Frank told the council that while staff had presented two primary options, council members could also direct staff toward other configurations for the area.
The option approved by the council does not include sidewalks on Carlsbad Boulevard but allows the city to reconsider them in the future after completion of the Seaside Transaction Agreement, once land use at the former NRG Energy site north of Cannon Road is better defined, or if additional parking opportunities are identified. The agreement, which became effective in April 2025, is expected to take five to seven years to complete.
According to city documents, the approved option is expected to cost about $1.5 million and take roughly two years to complete. Staff said the work is needed following completion of the city’s Carlsbad Boulevard Water and Sewer Improvements at Terramar Project in March and to maintain existing pavement infrastructure.
The alternative would have included Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks along the west side of Carlsbad Boulevard from Tierra Del Oro Street to Cerezo Drive, providing a dedicated pedestrian route to South Carlsbad State Beach.
That option was estimated to cost between $3 million and $4 million and take two to three years to complete. City documents stated it would remove approximately 23 shoulder parking spaces while preserving parking on the east side of the roadway.
The Terramar Area Coastal Improvements Project has undergone multiple revisions over the past decade. In October 2013, the City Council directed staff to pursue “livable streets” improvements along Carlsbad Boulevard.
In November 2018, the council selected a preferred alternative that included a roundabout at Cannon Road and Carlsbad Boulevard and a traffic signal at Cerezo Drive. Following significant community opposition to the roundabout, the council revisited the project in October 2025 and approved a smaller-scale project focused on resurfacing, restriping and evaluating sidewalk options.
The project area is one of the city’s busiest coastal corridors. According to city data, Carlsbad Boulevard carries approximately 13,000 vehicles per day and is the city’s most heavily used bicycle corridor. Weekend counts recorded up to 1,853 bicyclists and 780 pedestrians on Carlsbad Boulevard, while Cannon Road carries approximately 7,400 vehicles daily, with weekend peaks of 305 bicyclists and 168 pedestrians.
City officials said the project is intended to address several long-standing issues, including the lack of sidewalks, conflicts among pedestrians, cyclists and motorists sharing roadway shoulders and beach parking impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.
The city’s General Plan Mobility Element redesignated this portion of Carlsbad Boulevard as a “Coastal Street” in 2015, and the Sustainable Mobility Plan identifies both Carlsbad Boulevard and Cannon Road as “transformative corridors” requiring enhanced pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
Collision data presented to the council showed 40 reported crashes on Carlsbad Boulevard between Tierra Del Oro Street and Manzano Drive from 2021 through 2025. Of those, 35 resulted in injuries, and none were fatal. Ten involved bicyclists, including four bike-only crashes that did not involve motor vehicles. No pedestrian-involved collisions were reported during that period.
Public opinion was closely divided. Nearly 350 responses were submitted through an online feedback form, with 67% coming from people who live outside Terramar but visit the area frequently. Fifty-two percent opposed adding sidewalks, while supporters generally preferred sidewalks on both sides of the street or only on the west side.
The city also received comments through emails, public meetings and outreach efforts, including mailers, newsletters, social media posts and presentations to the Terramar Association.
The Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission ultimately recommended resurfacing and restriping the roadway without sidewalks, while encouraging the city to revisit the issue after completion of the Seaside Transaction Agreement and explore additional parking opportunities with California State Parks.
The case for sidewalks
Mayor Pro Tem Teresa Acosta and Councilmember Priya Bhat-Patel voted against the no-sidewalk option.
Acosta said the roadway “has been stuck in limbo for a long time,” noting that a previous council directed staff to pursue livable streets improvements in 2013.
“I don’t think that just keeping something as it always has been because it always has been is the right way to do things with anything in our city,” she said. “I think we need to adjust to the times and ensure that our entire community is benefiting.”
Acosta added that she believed one side of Carlsbad Boulevard should include a sidewalk but acknowledged concerns about parking loss.
“I am still looking for that compromise and I’m not hearing it in that motion,” she said before casting a “no” vote.
Bhat-Patel said delaying sidewalk improvements would only prolong the issue.
“We are shortchanging ourselves by not having this compromise conversation,” Bhat-Patel said. “We are then going to push this further into the future.”
She said she had heard concerns about mobility in the area throughout her life and worried that the lack of pedestrian infrastructure near the beach would continue to create conflicts.
“I do think that everybody deserves to move through this space comfortably,” Bhat-Patel said. “It is something that’s important to me.”
The case against sidewalks
Council members supporting the approved option cited cost savings and concerns about losing parking along the corridor.
Councilmember Melanie Burkholder said removing shoulder parking could push surfers and beachgoers into nearby residential neighborhoods.
“The number one complaint is parking, whether that be in the Village or on Carlsbad Boulevard,” Burkholder said.
Councilmember Kevin Shin said he had spent time walking in the area and speaking with surfers about the potential parking impacts.
“I think every local surfer knows that they found their break and they’re going to continue to use it,” Shin said.
When asked where they would park if roadside spaces disappeared, Shin said surfers consistently pointed toward nearby residential streets.
He also noted that some runners prefer asphalt over concrete because it provides a softer running surface.
The council’s decision comes as nearby coastal access issues remain under review. In March 2025, the California Coastal Commission found a “substantial issue” with an appeal challenging plans to repair the deteriorating Terramar beach access staircase, a privately owned structure connecting the neighborhood to South Carlsbad State Beach.
The commission’s action requires a full de novo hearing on the proposed repairs, which include shoreline protection measures, drainage improvements and stairway reconstruction. The staircase has suffered years of erosion, and project supporters have warned it could eventually collapse without repairs.
