SAN MARCOS — A new 165-unit mixed-use project is coming to a vacant site along Armorlite Drive in San Marcos, across the street from other housing developments, including Palomar Station and the Marc.
The San Marcos City Council unanimously approved the Armorlite Lofts project and associated entitlements on Tuesday, including rezoning the site from public institutional to a specific plan area, a General Plan amendment, a site development plan, and a conditional use permit.
The city’s planning commission also unanimously recommended approval of the project in May.
Armorlite Lofts will consist of five stories with parking and 5,600 square feet of commercial space on the ground level and four stories of residential space above. Of the 165 for-rent housing units, 17 will be designated affordable for very low-income households.
The 2.44-acre site at Armorlite Drive and North Las Posas Road is adjacent to George’s Burgers, an AT&T facility and the Palomar College Sprinter Station, and is close to several schools, parks and shopping areas.
“It’s the very definition of smart growth. It’s less than 1,000 feet from multiple options for mass transit, it’s flat, and it’s walkable,” said Councilmember Mike Sannella.
Other council members noted that the project provides convenient housing for the growing student and educator population in the city.
“This really does add to that missing middle that we have,” Mayor Rebecca Jones said.
Armorlite Lofts will feature a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, along with amenities such as common outdoor and indoor spaces, a pool and spa, lounge areas, a fitness center, and barbecue and picnic areas.
Due to its proximity to transit, Armorlite Lofts is only required to provide 247 parking spaces, achieved through a combination of tandem and single-space parking.
As part of the project, developers are required to mitigate impacts to the Diegan coastal sage scrub and non-native grasslands on site, and to survey for the possible presence of sensitive species, such as the Crotch’s bumblebee.
There are also documented tribal cultural resources in the vicinity of the project, which will require tribal monitoring of grading activities. The developer also entered into an agreement with the Rincon Tribe to conduct an ethnographic study onsite.
SAFER concerns
Despite council members’ enthusiasm, one nonprofit has raised concerns about deficiencies in the project’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility, or SAFER, is a Covina-based nonprofit that has filed previous challenges against proposed developments in North County — including those in San Marcos — based on the California Environmental Quality Act.
In letters exceeding 150 pages to both the Planning Commission and City Council, SAFER has alleged that the EIR for Armorlite Lofts failed to analyze the impacts on indoor air quality and biological resources, and failed to adequately address comments from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“SAFER’s objective here is not to kill the project, but we just wanted to engage in meaningful CEQA analysis and make sure that all the impacts are sufficiently analyzed and mitigated,” said attorney Mitchell Thielemann, who spoke on behalf of SAFER at the meeting.
SAFER submitted a letter with concerns about the EIR on May 19, the same day as the Planning Commission meeting where the project was being reviewed. The city and developer responded to the concerns, stating that SAFER did not “identify any specific deficiencies in the document beyond a generalized statement.”
The group submitted another lengthy letter in response to these comments on Tuesday, after the City Council meeting had already started. This exasperated council members, as city staff and the applicant had no time to review or respond to the new letter.
The council also questioned why no members of SAFER or any of their subject matter experts attended the meeting to discuss their concerns, instead relying solely on their attorney.
“To not even have someone that is here to ask questions of, that is extremely concerning. I want you to hear us loud and clear. I don’t normally get irritated, but I am very irritated right now,” Jones said to Thielemann.
In response to comments from SAFER in May, project representatives stated that the Draft EIR adequately analyzed significant environmental impacts, provided mitigation measures to mitigate impacts to below a level of significance, and adequately addressed comments from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Representatives also stated that SAFER referenced outdated studies and data on wildlife and habitats that are unrelated to the project site itself.
For example, while SAFER said that the project fails to account for habitat loss and nesting birds, they included input from an expert who listed several migrant species that are not expected to nest on site, according to Armorlite Lofts representatives.
Another concern was the presence of formaldehyde in some wood glues used in construction, which poses a cancer risk. However, representatives for the project said new indoor air quality standards already mitigate these risks.
“We’re highly suspect of all of that information that comes in from this particular group,” said Matt Simmons of Collaborative Consultants Inc., the firm representing the applicant.
Armorlite Lofts is also across the street from the future home of the city’s new fire station at the former Karl Strauss beer garden.
