CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad Planning Commission approved a site development plan for 397 housing units in an area of the city that would be surrounded by similarly sized industrial buildings.
The 9.78-acre vacant site on the south side of Salk Avenue between El Camino Real and College Boulevard includes a 6.3-acre graded pad, according to city documents.
Developers are proposing a five-story residential building with a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The majority of the units — 253 in total — would be one-bedroom apartments. Of the 397 units, 59 would be deed-restricted for low-income households to satisfy the state density bonus law.
Plans for the project include three interior courtyard areas at ground level, featuring a pool, spa and outdoor grilling areas. In total, the development would provide nearly 27,000 square feet of common recreational space, according to project documents.
Joe Gambill, representing developer Hanover Company, said at the June 3 Planning Commission meeting that the design elements would be “geared towards trying to take advantage of the beautiful views of Carlsbad and the canyons that are right there.”
Gambill added that the five-story parking structure, which would provide 542 spaces, would be tucked into a natural canyon at the rear of the site to minimize its visibility to the public. He said Hanover took city feedback seriously during the design process because it is the company’s first project in Carlsbad.
Planning Commissioner Nicholas Foster called the project a “no-brainer for approval” given the city’s housing needs, particularly for affordable housing.
“Right now this is just dirt and it’s been dirt for a long time,” Foster said.
Planning Commissioner David Hubinger said the location “seems like a really good place to put apartments” because of its proximity to amenities and El Camino Real, and because it provides a type of housing not commonly found in the area.
“It’s nice to have that diversity of housing somewhere other than the Barrio,” Hubinger said.
Planning Commissioner Kiley Fitzgerald echoed those sentiments about the site’s location.
“I do like that it’s near businesses, it’s near where folks — young and old — are going to work,” she said.
Fitzgerald added that while the project’s benefits outweighed its drawbacks, she was concerned about the developer’s use of a density bonus waiver to reduce the amount of outdoor recreational space. She noted that one of the indoor amenities would be a golf simulator.
Gambill said Carlsbad is a “very golf-centric city” with numerous golf-related companies.
TaylorMade’s state-of-the-art club-fitting and testing facility, known as The Kingdom, which features a 12-acre range and short-game facility, would be immediately west of the proposed development.
Another waiver sought by the project involves building height. City code allows a maximum height of 35 feet plus architectural projections at the site, while the proposed structure would reach 59 feet, with parapets and other features extending beyond 74 feet, according to project documents.
Planning Commissioner Alicia Lafferty said that while the affordable housing component means “ultimately this is a win for the city,” she remained concerned about the building’s height.
“It will stick out, it will be visible,” Lafferty said.
Planning Commissioner Roy Meenes said the project’s design fit well with the surrounding industrial development and was “very appealing for the area.”
“We certainly want to be good neighbors,” Gambill said. “We would love to do repeat business in Carlsbad so it doesn’t do us any favors to do a bad job on anything we’re doing.”
