CARLSBAD — The city is considering terminating the management company responsible for overseeing Windsor Pointe due to recent security breaches and ongoing safety concerns at the low-income housing site.
On Aug. 20, the Carlsbad City Council directed the city manager to examine the city’s agreements with Affirmed Housing, the developer behind Windsor Pointe, to determine whether there are legal grounds to remove CONAM Management Corporation from continuing to manage operations at the 50-unit complex located at 3606 Harding Street and 965 Oak Avenue.
The council also requested options for bolstering onsite security by moving to round-the-clock coverage.
Windsor Pointe has been a source of frustration since it opened two years ago. The complex, which includes 24 units for low-income residents, prioritizes veterans and their families. Two units are reserved for onsite managers, while the remaining 24 units house severely mentally ill individuals, also with a preference for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
The development was funded in part by a $10.1 million grant from the county’s No Place Like Home program, which mandates that the project provide housing for people with serious mental illnesses, such as major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Since its opening in the spring of 2022, Windsor Pointe has attracted significant attention from the Carlsbad Police Department and numerous complaints from nearby residents.
Earlier this year, the City Council directed city staff and the police department to find ways to reduce the number of police visits to Windsor Pointe while increasing the site’s security.
In April, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a series of recommendations to enhance safety and security at Windsor Pointe. These included utilizing funds from the No Place Like Home program and county reserves to pay for additional security, implementing a more secure visitor check-in system, providing 24/7 mental health first aid-trained staff onsite, and expanding behavioral health services throughout the week.
Despite these measures, security at Windsor Pointe has remained a concern. While security personnel are now present onsite from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily, and a 24-hour monitoring service has been installed, gaps in the site’s physical security and video surveillance persist.
On the morning of August 20, Carlsbad police Chief Christie Calderwood visited Windsor Pointe, coinciding with the City Council’s fourth update on the project’s progress since March. Calderwood later reported to the council that she observed a shoeless woman gaining unauthorized access to the Oak Avenue site by throwing her bag over the fence and disengaging the emergency access gate lock from the inside without triggering alarms.
Once inside, Calderwood found evidence of someone sleeping in a building space and discovered several doors with disengaged locks. When she attempted to speak with an employee in the office around 8:10 a.m., the office was unstaffed.
Calderwood then contacted Stealth Management, the video surveillance company, and was informed that footage is not actively monitored unless an incident is reported — contrary to what the police department had believed.
Calderwood eventually located a CONAM employee, who acknowledged that the unsecured doors were problematic, as people had figured out how to disengage the locks by pulling hard enough.
Council members expressed dismay over the situation, questioning both Affirmed Housing and CONAM representatives during the meeting. The representatives indicated that the incident was under investigation.
Michelle Sites, regional vice president for CONAM, said the company was unaware of the door security issues and was looking into reinforcing the hardware to prevent future problems. She also mentioned plans to increase the height of the emergency access gate.
When questioned about the office attendant’s absence, Sites said that only one person works at both locations, starting at the Harding site where she lives before arriving at the Oak site later in the day. Sites added that the employee had called in that morning to report she would be late.
Jonathan Taylor, vice president of asset management for Affirmed Housing, noted that Stealth Monitoring uses newer video monitoring technology that has been effective in the past.
“In this particular case… we’re investigating to find out what the problem was and what happened,” Taylor said.
Council members, however, were not satisfied with the explanations provided by both Sites and Taylor.
“This new technology is not working at all,” said Councilmember Teresa Acosta. “Some of the statements are very frustrating — we see it’s not working, and we want to make sure you see it so that you can make the change and we can continue to work with you to fix this because this is a big problem.”
Councilmember Carolyn Luna echoed this frustration.
“I’m tired of playing this whack-a-mole game,” Luna said. “Something has to change.”
Councilmember Melanie Burkholder, who appeared visibly upset, described Windsor Pointe as “a stain on the fabric of Carlsbad,” expressing disappointment with both the county’s response and the answers provided by Affirmed Housing and CONAM.
In a 4-0 vote, with Mayor Keith Blackburn recusing himself due to ties with a similarly named company, the City Council directed the city manager to review the agreements with Affirmed Housing and explore the possibility of removing CONAM. The city manager was also asked to investigate the cost of providing additional security services between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., ensuring 24/7 onsite security.
City Manager Scott Chadwick said he would present an amended management plan by October 22.
Despite calls from some residents to either relocate or shut down Windsor Pointe, City Attorney Cindie K. McMahon said there are no feasible legal grounds to close the project.
