CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad Planning Commission heaped praise on a proposed apartment complex before unanimously approving plans for the Fairfield Apartments at Bressi Ranch.
Fairfield Residential plans to build 320 units, including 43 deed-restricted affordable units, on 5.32 acres comprising two legal lots at the southwest corner of Palomar Airport Road and Gateway Road, according to city documents.
The design includes a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units and amenities such as more than 60,000 square feet of open space, a pool and a fitness center, according to the documents.
The buildings would range from four to six stories, with grading and a design that wraps around a parking garage with 556 spaces.
The affordable units qualify the project for waivers under the state’s density bonus law, including exemptions from maximum building height requirements and a requirement for a 5-foot landscape buffer along 10% of the site.
Planning Commissioner Alicia Lafferty said at the Oct. 7 meeting that she felt the waivers “are really minor” compared with those granted for other recent city projects. Overall, she praised the project and Fairfield’s efforts.
“It’s really built for all generations,” Lafferty said. “I only have positive things to say and I just want to commend you all for listening to the community. It’s developers like this that we really need in our community in carlsbad.”
City staff had recommended that the Planning Commission approve the project.
Ed McCoy, vice president at Fairfield, said projects of this size “catch people’s attention,” but his team felt the development would meet a need and fit well within the neighborhood.
He said the affordable units would be priced at approximately $1,200 and $1,400 per month for one- and two-bedroom apartments, respectively. At market rate, those units would cost approximately $3,500 and $4,500, respectively, he added.
“These are significant reductions in rents that we are going to accept because it’s the right thing to do and because it obviously allows the development to occur,” McCoy said.
Planning Commissioner Roy Meenes echoed McCoy’s comments, saying the location was “ideal for housing.”
Meenes added that he felt the project would help Carlsbad meet its Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA, targets established by the San Diego Association of Governments.
Carlsbad is currently 1,311 units short of its very low-income housing target and 784 units short of its low-income target, according to SANDAG.
“Being able to contribute a number of units to our RHNA numbers is very important on behalf of the city,” Meenes said.
