CARLSBAD — After rezoning numerous lots throughout the city last year for residential development as part of its Housing Element goals, the city of Carlsbad is receiving additional interest from private developers about rezoning other sites for housing projects.
In early 2024, the city of Carlsbad rezoned 16 public and private properties, including those at the Shoppes at Carlsbad and the North County Plaza, to allow higher residential density, as required in its 6th Cycle Housing Element.
City staff said on Tuesday that they have been encouraging developers to pursue housing projects at these rezoned sites, as they were selected after extensive public outreach and research. Recently, however, several property owners not rezoned in the Housing Element have also been reaching out with requests to rezone and complete General Plan amendments.
At their Tuesday meeting, staff requested guidance from the City Council on how to respond to these requests. They noted that they have been encouraging these individuals to wait until the next Housing Element cycle to have their properties rezoned, but many are impatient to get started sooner.
“The housing market is a very active market right now, and with what the state’s doing to the process to make it even easier to do housing, those two factors are making it very lucrative to do housing development,” said Director of Community Development Jeff Murphy.
For individuals who submit a formal application to rezone a site, staff plan to expedite these applications for Planning Commission and City Council review early in the process, to determine if the project is likely to be supported before more resources are spent.
When bringing forward these expedited applications, staff said they would also plan to recommend denial of the application.
“Basically, what this process does is inform the applicant early on as to whether the City Council is even open to the idea of rezoning, before the applicant spends significant time and money on permit processing and staff spends resources processing the application,” Murphy said.
While the Planning Commission and City Council do not have to accept staff’s recommendations, some residents have said the recommendation for denial would still attach a negative stigma.
Council members agreed and instructed staff to proceed with an expedited process to allow early application review for new residential rezone requests, but not to include a staff recommendation for denial.
“I think it unfairly stigmatizes the property right away, and I think that it’s up to us as a council and up to our Planning Commission to make the determination if it’s something that is good or not,” Mayor Keith Blackburn said.
Blackburn added that most applications will likely be rejected anyway, but noted that there could be special conditions under which the city approves additional rezones prior to the next Housing Element cycle.
City leaders also noted that while the city is responsible for implementing programs to facilitate housing development, it is developers who ultimately bring projects forward.
Councilmember Teresa Acosta asked whether there are any state laws that would require the city to approve these rezoning applications. Murphy said not at this time, since the city has a certified Housing Element and is in good standing with the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
The city has received around five pre-applications for rezones, staff said.
Carlsbad was allocated 3,873 new units to build by 2029 under the Regional Housing Needs Allocation process.
