CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad Planning Commission voted 5-1 on Feb. 18 to recommend further consideration of a proposal by Toll Brothers to convert a vacant Bressi Ranch industrial parcel into more than 100 three-story townhomes.
The proposed development would sit on a roughly 7-acre site at 6405 Alicante Road that is currently designated “Planned Industrial” and zoned for non-retail office and industrial uses. Toll Brothers is seeking amendments to the city’s General Plan and the Bressi Ranch Master Plan to allow residential development.
The proposal calls for rezoning the property to R-23, a residential land-use category that permits 19 to 23 housing units per acre under the city’s updated General Plan.
Eric Everhart, representing Toll Brothers, described the project as a “single-family, luxury residential development” featuring 111 attached townhome-style condominium units with five floor plans, ranging from about 1,458 to 2,271 square feet.
The community would have gated access from Gateway Road and include open space and landscaping designed to meet city standards.
The developer’s plan also includes 252 parking spaces, including two-car garages and visitor parking. Everhart told the commission that the project’s parking plan “favorably exceeds” city requirements and said the site design was developed with input from the Carlsbad Fire Department “to ensure that all fire standards are met or exceeded.”
If Toll Brothers’ proposal is denied, Everhart argued, the site, located next to Viasat’s corporate headquarters, could see more large warehouse-style buildings under its current zoning, increasing truck traffic and potentially lowering nearby property values.
Industrial structures next to single-family homes, he said, would have a greater impact on quality of life than the proposed townhome community.
“We stand at a crossroads,” Everhart said. “This site will be developed. Industrial or residential? Which generates the higher overall quality of life?”
Public comment expressed a range of views, with some supporting increased housing near a major employer and others against potentially disrupting the Bressi Ranch area’s existing “live-work” balance, a planning concept that intentionally places homes within walking or biking distance of offices, retail stores and transit.
Viasat, a global satellite and wireless communications company that employs roughly 1,600 people in the Carlsbad area, submitted a letter in support of the requested zoning change. Gary Dorris, the company’s director of real estate, wrote that proximity housing is “critical to our ability to attract new employees” and would allow workers to live near the company’s 1.1 million-square-foot campus.
The Building Industry Association of San Diego County and Bressi Ranch Owners Association also supported residential use on the parcel. At a February 2025 special membership meeting, 100% of voting members supported a land-use change to allow up to 120 residential units, according to a correspondence submitted to the city by Bressi Ranch HOA.
David Pierce, a Carlsbad resident, also supported the rezoning and argued the site is close to major employment and services, including bus routes and nearby retail.
“From a land use perspective, it is within walking distance, or a short bike ride, bus ride, or drive to one of the largest job centers in the entire county,” Pierce said.
Several organizations and Bressi Ranch residents, however, urged commissioners to deny the amendment.
The Equitable Land Use Alliance, a Carlsbad-based nonprofit, said converting the parcel from industrial to residential use would undermine Bressi Ranch’s original mixed-use design and constitute a “premature bait-and-switch.”
The group said adopting an R-23 designation could open the door to higher densities, state density bonus concessions, and impacts on infrastructure, and suggested exploring light-industrial alternatives consistent with the master plan.
Bruce Vandever, a Bressi Ranch resident since 2010, urged commissioners not to support the rezoning, arguing the city’s business corridor is an important job generator, and that more homes would worsen traffic and undermine the master plan residents “bought into.”
Vandever further claimed that traffic already cuts through Town Garden Road as drivers try to avoid Gateway Road and warned the proposed development would “sit right exactly in front of” Town Garden Road.
“I’m not supporting this change,” Vandever said.
In written comments, Conrad Grell and Judi Lesight said they purchased their home just east of the proposed site more than 20 years ago, with the understanding that the parcel would remain industrial with a lower housing density. They said that rezoning would undermine that expectation.
Traffic was a central concern for some area residents, who said that additional units would increase vehicle trips along Gateway Road and Town Garden Road, routes typically used by families and children walking or biking to nearby parks and schools. Some noted the existing chicanes on Gateway Road and warned that new traffic could worsen congestion and safety conditions along the roadway.
Commissioners were divided over whether the proposal aligns with the city’s long-range planning goals or constitutes “spot zoning,” a controversial practice in which a single parcel is rezoned to differ from surrounding properties.
Commissioner Kiley Fitzgerald, who voted no, said she did not hear a “compelling argument” to depart from the housing element and land-use planning framework and cautioned against piecemeal rezoning.
“I think a more thoughtful approach to zoning, instead of spot zoning, is something we should really consider,” Fitzgerald said.
Commissioner Nicholas Foster said the commission’s role at this stage is not to approve or deny the project, but to determine whether the applicant should be allowed to pursue it through the full review process.
“To me, this is kind of a black-and-white decision,” Foster said. “Does the applicant, who’s going to take the financial risk of pursuing this project, have the ability to spend the time and money to pursue it, or not? If they want to take a shot and go for it, I support it.”
Commissioner Peter Merz also supported advancing the application, saying the questions raised by commissioners and the public were reasons to continue the review rather than shut it down early.
Commissioner Dave Hubinger’s motion to recommend remanding the application back to staff for further processing was approved 5-1, with Fitzgerald opposed, and Commissioner Spencer Burrows recused.
The recommendation now advances to the City Council, which will decide whether to proceed with the project through the review process, including additional analysis and public outreach.
