ENCINITAS — The city of Encinitas will add all-way stop signs at an intersection outside a new housing development to address concerns from neighbors during and after construction.
The Clark Avenue Apartments are a 199-unit development on 6.22 acres east of Interstate 5 and about a quarter-mile south of Leucadia Boulevard. The intersection of Clark Avenue and Puebla Street sits at the project’s northern entrance, where construction is underway.
The Encinitas City Council unanimously approved adding three permanent stop signs and one temporary sign to the intersection during its Oct. 22 meeting. The temporary sign will become permanent at the end of construction under previously agreed-upon conditions between the city and the developer.
The city’s engineering department will also establish “no parking” zones around the intersection at its discretion.
Councilmember Jim O’Hara — a vocal critic of the project — called it a “turd sandwich” during Wednesday’s meeting.
“The Clark Avenue Apartments are a turd sandwich and anything we do is putting mustard or mayo or pickles on it,” O’Hara said. “But that’s better than a turd sandwich by itself.”
According to city records, O’Hara attended an April meeting with neighbors to hear their concerns and has raised issues about the project’s impact on fire safety.
Cynthia Sheya Palmer, a nearby resident, said that since construction began, the “neighborhood is getting hammered” with trucks hauling materials to and from the site.
Palmer said subcontractors have been parking on public streets near the narrow Clark Avenue and Puebla Street intersection, making it challenging to navigate the area. She urged the City Council to require construction crews to park on-site or otherwise restrict street parking.
Other neighborhood residents have expressed safety concerns related to construction activities and the narrow streets surrounding the project.
The original plans called for stop signs in all directions at the intersection, except for the one exiting the project site, at an estimated cost of $15,000.
Palmer also asked the council to lower the speed limit on Clark Avenue from 25 mph to 15 or 20 mph.
Abe Bandegan, a city traffic engineer, said the city already plans to recommend lowering the speed limit to 20 mph as part of another round of traffic safety adjustments in line with Assembly Bill 43. Bandegan said a complete list of affected streets will be presented to the City Council in the next few months.
In addition to the three originally proposed stop signs, O’Hara recommended adding a fourth, depending on the project’s approval conditions.
Mayor Bruce Ehlers requested that a temporary “sawhorse reflector stop sign” be installed during construction and made permanent upon completion of the project.
Ehlers also asked that a “no parking” zone be created along Clark Avenue near the intersection, at the discretion of the engineering department.
“We’ll look at the entire intersection,” said Dan Nutter, director of engineering for Encinitas.
“Please, just make it safe,” Ehlers said in response.
