ENCINITAS — The City Council advanced programs aimed at environmental responsibility while also discussing how best to use outdoor space.
The council unanimously approved a contract for services to improve and restore portions of Indian Head Canyon, Cottonwood Creek and Oak Crest Park during its Dec. 17 meeting.
The contract with Quail Botanical Gardens — also known as the San Diego Botanic Garden — adds $100,000, with a contingency for up to an additional $100,000, to a contract signed Feb. 27 for two years, according to city records.
The funds are earmarked for ongoing stewardship efforts, invasive plant control and other projects, including the construction of pathways and signage discouraging people from venturing into sensitive native areas.
The City Council also recommended that city staff explore natural or alternative materials — such as rope, brush, logs or rocks — for constructing walkways and agendize a future item regarding appropriate signage and trail naming. The Parks and Recreation Commission would hear that item before returning to the City Council.
At the meeting, Mayor Bruce Ehlers said Encinitas has historically preferred open space over parklands.
“It’s been a fairly consistent message from the electorate that they really do value natural, open space and wildlife,” Ehlers said.
Sheila Cameron — a former mayor of Encinitas and opinion contributor to The Coast News — raised concerns during public comment about building materials used at the sites. Wearing an Indian Head Canyon shirt, she said fencing and unnatural pathways would prevent people from being able to “walk the pathways and enjoy the trails and have a sense of what the area was like in San Diego County before we covered it with asphalt and buildings.”
“This is not a park in the conventional sense,” Cameron said. “It is a piece of nature that needs to be kept natural.”
David Norgard, Encinitas’ parks operations manager, said designated trails are built to limit access to preserve open space.
“There’s several user created trails that go throughout the area which ends up degrading that environment,” Norgard said.
He said signage and trail markers are intended to preserve the natural areas within such open spaces.
Councilmember Joy Lyndes said she would support options such as posts and ropes or biodegradable fiber rolls rather than fencing or gravel bags.
Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara suggested boulders or rocks, saying they provide “a more natural aesthetic.”
Possible changes to Encinitas Community Park
Norgard also presented preliminary concepts for how Encinitas Community Park could accommodate beach volleyball or dedicated pickleball courts.
Norgard said the 44-acre park, which opened in January 2015, already includes “a very popular playground, passive walking trails, sports fields, a world-class skatepark and perhaps the nicest dog park in the region.”
In June 2021, the City Council directed $30,000 to hire a consultant to analyze the addition of features such as beach volleyball or pickleball.
The consultant, RRM Design Group, evaluated three options. One included two sand volleyball courts in the grass area at the park’s northwest corner, next to the Encinitas Skate Park, also known as Poods. Another option included the two sand volleyball courts and 12 pickleball courts in the northeast grass area on the other side of the skate park.
A third option proposed four beach volleyball courts and eight pickleball courts on the northeast grass field.
Norgard said the estimated cost of the first option would be about $500,000, while the other two options would cost about $3 million.
No action could be taken by the City Council on Dec. 17 because the discussion was an informational item. The council plans to revisit the development of Encinitas Community Park.
Molly Hintlian, an Encinitas resident, used public comment to advocate for a recreational pool at the park, noting that she has previously run into Councilmember Luke Shaffer at pools in neighboring cities.
Lyndes said she remembered that “people really were passionate about all the different uses” when the idea first emerged years ago, and that she felt a similar level of passion from public commenters on Dec. 17.
“We really have more needs than we have space and a lot of passionate people who are engaged,” Lyndes said.
O’Hara said he would like to see any formal plans include a more robust parking strategy.
“If we put in pickleball courts or a pool, then we’re talking a ton of cars,” O’Hara said. “I think any discussion about any installation of any type of court, pool, facility is going to have to talk about parking.”
Ehlers agreed that parking in that part of the city is at a premium and that a thoughtful approach would be necessary in future discussions.
Shaffer said “park space is in a massive deficit,” calling it the “longforgotten stepchild of all this overdevelopment that’s happening.”
“If we don’t put these things first, it’s going to be the last thing that comes up and it’s going to be the first complaint that we get from whatever well-to-do person that moves in here because it’s not cheap anymore,” Shaffer said of dedicated recreation space in a city that may grow to upward of 90,000 residents.
Tankless water heaters
The city also agreed to receive 13 tankless, electric water heaters through a program with SD EnergyLink.
The installation value, including removal of existing equipment, is $143,000, a sum Encinitas will not be required to pay under the countywide program, according to city documents.
The tankless water heaters are scheduled for fire stations 3, 4, and 5, as well as the Wastewater Collection building and the Encinitas Community Center.
Because the city receives all of its electricity from renewable sources, switching from natural gas-powered tank water heaters to tankless electric units is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 17.2 metric tons annually, according to city documents. The city also estimates the change will reduce utility costs by $5,700.
Surf study
Encinitas submitted a letter of support for a grant application by University of San Diego researchers seeking to complete a study on the impacts of sea level rise on surfing in the region.
The researchers contacted the city on Dec. 1 to request a letter of support for the California Ocean Protection Council’s Senate Bill 1 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Grant Program to complete the Surf Resource Vulnerability Assessment for San Diego County.
“The City of Encinitas is well known for good quality surf, most notably at Swami’s Reef, Cardiff Reef and Seaside Reef, which are popular with the locals and well known in the region,” Ehlers wrote in the letter. “The City of Encinitas is supportive of this project and is committed to participating in its activities, recognizing the importance of protecting San Diego’s surf resources and preserving public access and cultural heritage along the coastline.”
1 comment
Pickleball at Encinitas Community Park would be a disaster. That kind of noise doesn’t belong in a park. IMO.