Coastal Commission denies Quail Meadows appeals

ENCINITAS — The 448-unit Quail Meadows Apartments project in Encinitas is moving forward after the California Coastal Commission denied a set of appeals from local groups who argued that the developer failed to properly study impacts to natural resources on-site. 

Members of the state commission discussed the project on May 13, a little over a year after two community groups appealed the Encinitas City Council’s approval of the project. Proposed by developer Baldwin & Sons, Quail Meadows would bring 448 apartments, including 90 affordable units, to a 12-acre site on the east side of Quail Gardens Drive near Encinitas Boulevard.

The appellants, Encinitas Citizens for Responsible Development (ECRD) and consulting firm Hamilton Biological, argued that the developer did not sufficiently study impacts to wetlands and a stream on-site that acts as a tributary to Cottonwood Creek near Moonlight Beach, and failed to identify sensitive species on-site. 

They also claimed that the project’s drainage plan relies on an unpermitted, illegal headwall and pipes that impede the stream’s natural flow. 

Commission staff said the arguments raised in the appeals either did not present a substantial issue or did not fall within the commission’s jurisdiction. They reiterated that the sensitive natural resources identified are all in the northern area of the site, which will be protected from development and restored. 

“This vegetation provides significant habitat value by supporting riparian-associated birds, trapping sediment, and dissipating flows. Thus, this portion of the stream has significant habitat value. In contrast, as the water course flows south, the area becomes highly disturbed and does not contain significant habitat value,” said Stephanie Leach of the commission’s San Diego Coast district office.

Staff said that because other portions of the stream are not of significant habitat value, they are not considered an appealable area to the Coastal Commission. Leach said the only appealable area on the site is within 100 feet of the sensitive riparian habitat to the north, where the sole planned development is the slip lining of a leaking pipe.

Slip lining will involve inserting a new pipe into the existing damaged pipe, and the work will be done without disturbing the sensitive stream area, Leach said. 

The appellants claimed that repairing the leaking pipe would lead to the demise of two wetland areas that have come to depend on the leak as a water source.

However, Coastal Commission Ecologist Dr. Corey Clatterbuck determined these areas are not wetlands, but riparian areas, and do not raise a substantial issue. 

Doug Carstens, an attorney representing the appellants, said the stream has habitat value throughout the site, not just the northern portion. 

“The conclusion that the blue line stream was clearly documented onsite as low habitat value except in limited spots is not factually supported,” Carstens said. 

Baldwin & Sons COO Nick Lee supported the commission staff’s recommendation to deny the appeals. 

“The record is clear,” Lee said. “The project does not impact wetlands. There are not unresolved biological questions. It provides much-needed drainage infrastructure. There is limited work within the appeal area, just the slip lining of the pipe, and the restoration results in a net improvement to the habitat in the area.” 

Regarding the headwall and pipes, Hamilton Biological argued that, because they are unpermitted, they cannot be used for the Quail Meadows project and that the developer must address this issue before the project moves forward.  

Leach said the structures appear to have been at the site for decades and may have been used for on-site agricultural activities. Commission staff could not find a record of a Coastal Development Permit for these structures, but Leach said they may have been exempt from permitting at the time. 

Coastal Commission Deputy Director Karl Schwing added that allegations of unpermitted structures cannot be the basis for an appeal to the entire project. 

Carstens pushed back on this, saying more information is needed not only about the headwall and pipes but also about the sensitive species on-site. 

“More detailed focused surveys are needed to establish actual factual evidence. In conclusion, refusing to find a substantial issue, in the face of the overwhelming evidence which has been presented to the commission, would place the commission in a legally untenable position,” Carstens said. 

The Quail Meadows project has changed drastically since it was first proposed in 2022, shrinking from 485 to 448 units while increasing the amount of affordable units from 72 to 90.

In response to community feedback, Baldwin & Sons also lowered the building height from six stories to four and added 749 parking spaces. They are also planning a new roundabout at Kristen Court to help traffic flow.

Despite these changes, some community members and groups remain opposed. In 2024, ECRD and Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility (SAFER) appealed the Encinitas Planning Commission’s approval of the project, bringing it before the City Council. 

At the time, the City Council reluctantly voted to deny the appeals in order to avoid lawsuits from Baldwin & Sons and the state Housing and Community Development Department. 

Encinitas resident Kathryn Campbell told the Coastal Commission that Quail Gardens Drive is a crucial connector between Encinitas Boulevard and Leucadia Boulevard and that it is being affected by several other housing developments in the area. 

She also shared concerns about emergency vehicles’ ability to access the narrow road, in addition to the increased traffic. 

“No emergency vehicles will be able to come and get my family out of this. Our neighborhoods are one street in, one street out,” she said.