ENCINITAS — After five years of revisions and community feedback, the Encinitas Planning Commission has approved a 51-unit housing development directly across from San Dieguito Academy.
The project at 845 Santa Fe Drive will replace all existing buildings on the property, including Shadow Mountain Community Church and its administrative office, a preschool and a single-family home.
The approval comes shortly after the City Council finalized the Western Phase of the Santa Fe Drive Corridor project, which wrapped in April. The project added new separated bike lanes, sidewalks, reverse-angle parking, landscaping, drainage improvements and a mid-block pedestrian crossing near the high school.
Though unrelated to the corridor project, the new housing development will include a signalized intersection at its entrance, aligning with San Dieguito Academy’s driveway. Developer John Wunderling, an Encinitas resident, will also add crosswalk enhancements.
The project will comprise 35 detached single-family homes and 16 attached homes, featuring units ranging from one to three bedrooms and including one- to two-car garages.
Five of the homes will be permanently reserved for very low-income families as affordable housing.
“This has been my life and my team’s life for five years and it’s a better project because of it,” Wunderling said. “We’re confident it will serve the area.”
The project will utilize California’s density bonus law, which permits increased housing density in exchange for affordable units. While the site could have supported up to 59 units, Wunderling said the number was reduced in response to public concerns.
“We really dialed back what we could have done to make sure there was parking, safe traffic, and a good feel,” he said.
The project includes 128 parking spaces, exceeding city requirements, and will be connected by a private looped street. No development concessions were requested; however, 10 waivers were approved, covering lot dimensions, setbacks, coverage, access and private road standards.
Most of the existing 78 trees on the property will be removed, except for 14 mature trees along Munevar Road. Upon completion of construction, a total of 224 new trees will be planted on the site.
The project has undergone numerous redesigns in response to public and staff input as well as coordination with city infrastructure efforts along Santa Fe Drive.
Despite years of revisions, some community members remained unhappy with the project. Greg LaFave, a nearby resident on Summit Avenue, raised concerns about safety.
“The fire zone just starts a few blocks over – God help us when that happens,” he said, calling the project an “evacuation time bomb” if a fire were to break out.
Chair Steve Dalton disagreed, stating that the 24-foot-wide road is sufficient to allow vehicles, including larger trucks, to enter and exit the development without needing to reverse.
Dalton also clarified that while the project is located near a designated fire hazard severity zone, it does not fall within one.
“The whole city is near something – I just don’t see that as an issue,” Dalton said.
The commission, while hesitant about the project’s private road access, density and connection to Santa Fe Drive, approved the project in a 3-0 vote. Vice Chair Christine Ryan and Commissioner Susan Sherod were absent.
As part of the approval, four conditions were added:
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Verification of the density bonus, including whether a sixth affordable unit should be included due to rounding requirements;
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Addition of roof planes on all four sides of each structure;
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Confirmation of a variety of exterior design colors;
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ADA-access from the project to Munevar Road.
