ENCINITAS — After years of flooding during heavy rain, the Valley of Dreams mobile home park in Leucadia is poised for long-awaited drainage upgrades.
The City of Encinitas on Feb. 12 approved a Coastal Development Permit for improvements including a catch basin, stormwater pump, new curbs and gutters, pavement resurfacing and minor adjustments to the road’s elevation to improve drainage.
A hydrology review accepted by city engineers found that the upgrades would route water to the same discharge point, but slow it down, helping ease the surge of stormwater runoff during heavy rains.
Located west of North Coast Highway 101 in a designated floodplain, the mobile home park’s entrance faces Leucadia Roadside Park, where other nearby homes along the Europa Street alleyway have sustained property damage from flooding.
In January 2023 and February 2024, Leucadia experienced significant flooding during severe weather, with some residents reporting up to a foot of water in their homes.
Several Leucadia homeowners have since filed lawsuits alleging that the city’s mismanagement of its drainage system has caused repeated flooding of their properties.
Studies commissioned by the city in 2003 and 2005 found the Leucadia drainage system was overwhelmed during storms, and a 2012 San Diego County Grand Jury said flooding remained a persistent issue in the area.
City officials determined that the Valley of Dreams project qualifies for a categorical exemption from environmental review because it modifies an existing facility.
Since the mobile home park sits in the coastal appeal zone, the decision can be challenged before the California Coastal Commission.
Steve Campbell is listed as the project applicant, with engineering by Civil Landworks.
