ENCINITAS — Olivenhain residents and city officials held a community discussion about traffic and road safety on Wednesday in the aftermath of a collision that killed a teen pedestrian along El Camino Del Norte earlier this month.
The Olivenhain Town Council organized the meeting at the Olivenhain Meeting Hall to discuss recent concerns and questions from residents about the planned 250-unit Goodson Project along Rancho Santa Fe Road, as well as vehicle speeds, traffic signals, biker and pedestrian safety, parking, and the planned permanent Fire Station 6.
“There’s been a really overwhelming interest, and we’re really happy that you all could make it here tonight,” Olivenhain Town Council President Scott Woodward told the packed meeting hall on Wednesday.
Many questions were submitted in advance, and some residents asked questions during the meeting. Encinitas Mayor Bruce Ehlers answered questions, along with City Councilmember Marco San Antonio, Engineering Director Dan Nutter, and Assistant Development Director Meagan Openshaw.
Much of the meeting was spent talking about pedestrian safety, particularly for children, after 17-year-old Olivenhain resident Seraphina “Fin” Rose Fadick was fatally struck by a westbound vehicle on July 10 while walking in a crosswalk along El Camino Del Norte near La Quebrada.
Friends have asked people to use the name Fin, noting that authorities initially identified the teen by their legal name, Seraphina, but that was not the name they used.
Community members noted that this is the third traffic-related death of a child in the past few years in Encinitas.
Last spring, 12-year-old Emery Chalekian was struck and killed while crossing Encinitas Boulevard, and 15-year-old Brodee Champlain-Kingman died in 2023 after colliding with a vehicle while riding an e-bike along El Camino Real. 
Calli Kelsay, an Olivenhain resident and the president of Safe Kids San Diego Coalition, said at the meeting that her family has connections to both Fadick and Chalekian, and these tragedies have impacted the entire community.
“Since Fin’s passing, every time I drive by Camino Del Norte, I’m reminded of the young lives that were lost,” Kelsay said. “This requires a multifaceted approach.”
The San Diego County Medical Examiner has ruled Fadick’s death an accident caused by blunt force trauma. Encinitas Traffic Sgt. Kristy Trampus said they are still investigating the car’s speed at the time of the collision and whether the driver may have been distracted.
The driver was uninjured, stopped the car after the crash, and immediately contacted 911 with a neighbor, Trampus said. No charges have been filed at this point.
“We don’t have any witnesses at this point other than the driver, and we’re still looking if there’s any video surveillance. We’re actively investigating this and how it happened,” Trampus said.
Ehlers said Fadick’s death is tragic, and his heart goes out to their loved ones. Fadick was going into their senior year at San Dieguito Academy.
“Of course, we had a very tragic accident, and we’re all heartbroken. Unfortunately, I’ve been on council long enough that this is the third one,” he said, referencing the deaths of Chalekian and Kingman-Champlain.
Several residents noted that drivers regularly speed along Rancho Santa Fe Road and El Camino Del Norte going as fast as 60 mph, and asked city leaders how they plan to slow speeds.
Ehlers said the city has increased traffic enforcement by adding two new deputies and has lowered speed limits on various roads under Assembly Bill 43. This included El Camino Del Norte, where the speed limit was lowered from 40 mph to 35 mph in 2024.
However, he said installing infrastructure such as speed tables, speed bumps, or chicanes could pose issues for emergency vehicles that need to respond quickly.
“That’s where we get into conflicts of fire access and fire evacuation,” said Ehlers. “When we’re talking about fire response, minutes count.”
One resident who lives along Val Sereno Drive said lowering speed limits on El Camino Del Norte, while well-intentioned, has led to increased instances of tailgating. He said that more stop signs along the road could help calm traffic without restricting emergency vehicles’ movement.
Ehlers said this is something the city can explore, stating that he has “never said no to a stop sign.”
Other residents said they want to see more traffic deputies targeting common speeding areas, including along Val Sereno Drive, El Camino Del Norte, and Manchester Boulevard.
“It seems to me that I rarely, if ever, see a police officer other than a patrol car going by,” said Olivenhain resident Christopher, who lives on 9th Street.
Ehlers said he is interested in adding more deputies, but it is ultimately a budgeting issue. 
Maggie Ziegast, a friend of Fadick’s who also attended SDA and is now in college, also said that speeding is a problem. She noted it’s not uncommon for young people to race and speed down the roads in Olivenhain.
“I’ve had friends get injured from that and friends die from that,” Ziegast said.
Goodson project
Community members also shared concerns about traffic impacts from the Encinitas Boulevard Apartments, known locally as the Goodson project. The six-story project is located along Rancho Santa Fe Road near the intersection with Encinitas Boulevard, next to the Olivenhain Platz business center.
The City Council approved the project back in 2022 after a years-long battle with the developer. Because the project includes 50 units for lower-income seniors — 21 units for very-low-income households and 29 for low-income households — it qualified under state law as a density bonus project, allowing it to exceed several local height and density standards.
The project will be accessed from Encinitas Boulevard via McCain Lane, where a new traffic light will be installed. There will be two access points from Rancho Santa Fe Road for fire and emergency vehicle access only.
Residents shared concerns that traffic will become even more congested with a new traffic light at McCain Lane, noting that cars already get backed up at the light at Rancho Santa Fe Road and Encinitas Boulevard.
“How is that light going to work? People are gonna be coming out of McCain Lane, and you’re gonna have many, many people trying to turn right, trying to turn left,” said resident Gary Koop.
City officials said the two traffic lights will be coordinated to ensure traffic moves smoothly.
“I’m not gonna sit here and say this development won’t have an impact on the community, but you have my commitment that we will try to make those impacts as limited as we can,” said Nutter.
San Antonio said he anticipates issues coming up with traffic once the development is built and occupied, and the city will work with residents to mitigate them.
“As the time goes on and this starts to get occupied, there will be problems. There will be. It’s inevitable. As we drive it, I know everyone here will be monitoring it,” San Antonio said.
Ehlers also shared concerns that the project is severely underparked, with only 472 parking spaces, noting that this will likely impact the neighborhood. He said the city may explore adding a parking permit program in Olivenhain to protect neighborhood parking. 
Some residents asked about sidewalks and pedestrian pathways near the Goodson project. Ehlers said the city is keeping an eye out for grant funding for a planned 0.95-mile trail on the east side of Rancho Santa Fe Road known as Trail 82.
The trail is expected to cost around $5.5 million, and will run from Encinitas Boulevard to El Camino Del Norte.
Officials also highlighted other residential projects proposed in and around Olivenhain.
One is The Preserve, which will bring 35 single-family homes to a 22.33-acre site at Trabert Ranch Rd and Manchester Ave next to the Manchester Preserve. The project is still in the planning stages.
Another planned project is a nine-home development at Rancho Santa Fe Road and Ranch View Terrace called Sanctuary, which will include one affordable home. Out of the 8.23-acre site, 5.48 acres will be preserved as open space.
Grading on the project has already begun, said Openshaw.
Lastly, the city has received an application for 14 single-family homes on a 4.75-acre site across from the Goodson Project along Rancho Santa Fe Road, bordered by Pepper Tree Lane. The project is known as Olivenhain Estates.
Fire station
Officials also answered questions about the new fire station planned for Olivenhain, which has historically been understaffed compared to other local stations despite Olivenhain being in a high fire hazard risk zone.
Last fall, the city agreed to construct a new temporary Station 6 at Little Oaks Equestrian Park, increase staffing from two firefighters to three, and deploy a reserve Type 1 engine to replace the existing two-person patrol unit.
The city is still looking for a permanent site for the station, and the City Council has been discussing a potential property acquisition in closed session, Ehlers said.
City fire officials say Olivenhain has the highest wildfire hazard risk in the city, and residents have long been concerned about fire evacuation and emergency response. This prompted San Antonio to bring forward the item to the City Council to make Station 6 a full-service station.
“For me, it was a huge deal to get this community protected, 100%,” San Antonio said.
City officials also addressed questions about street maintenance, particularly along Cole Ranch Road. Ehlers said the city may be revisiting its policy that designates some roads as publicly owned but privately maintained.
