HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-12-02; City Council; 02; Carlsbad Boulevard and Tamarack Avenue Intersection Improvements Project GrantCA Review TL
Meeting Date: Dec. 2, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Geoff Patnoe, City Manager
Staff Contact: Tom Frank, Transportation Director/City Engineer
tom.frank@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2766
Subject: Carlsbad Boulevard and Tamarack Avenue Intersection Improvements
Project Grant
District: 1
Recommended Action
Adopt a resolution approving the conditions of the San Diego Association of Governments
Active Transportation Grant Amendment for the Carlsbad Boulevard and Tamarack Avenue
Intersection Improvements Project.
Executive Summary
The city has a Capital Improvement Program project to improve the Carlsbad Boulevard and
Tamarack Avenue intersection that is to be partly funded by a $1,054,000 grant from the San
Diego Association of Governments. The original design included a roundabout, but the City
Council later chose a smaller-scale design without one.
On May 20, 2025, staff submitted a grant amendment request to SANDAG to extend the grant
by 36 months and to use the remaining $452,643 in available grant funds for the construction
phase only. The SANDAG Board approved a 42-month grant extension on Oct. 31, 2025, with
the provision that if the work is not completed by Nov. 8, 2028, the city would return any funds
up to the remaining balance of $452,643.
The city needs to amend its grant with SANDAG so it can obtain the remaining grant funds,
approximately $452,000, to be used for construction of the revised project. Staff are requesting
the City Council’s approval of the updated grant conditions. If the City Council does not approve
the terms of the grant amendment, SANDAG would return the remaining grant funds to its
Active Transportation Grant Program.
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Explanation & Analysis
Timeline
•The City Council authorized the Public Works Director to apply for a grant from SANDAG
under the Active Transportation Grant Program for the Carlsbad Boulevard and
Tamarack Avenue Intersection Improvements Project (Capital Improvement Program
Project No. 6058), accepting the terms of the grant agreement on March 10, 2015.
•The Public Works Director signed the original grant for $1,054,000 on May 9, 2016.
•On July 18, 2023, the City Council approved the conceptual design of the project, which
included a roundabout at the intersection, pedestrian safety improvements and
widening the sidewalk on the bridge over the Agua Hedionda Lagoon inlet. The City
Council authorized staff to proceed with the project’s next steps, which included its final
design and environmental permitting, and directed staff to return with information on
five months of traffic performance at the coastal roundabout project at the intersection
of Carlsbad Boulevard and Cannon Road, which at that time was expected to be
completed in 2028, before seeking the City Council’s approval for construction. The staff
report is provided in Exhibit 3.
•On Nov. 12, 2024, the City Council authorized staff to ask SANDAG to amend the scope
of work to remove the construction phase and request a 24-month time extension of
the grant for the project. (See Resolution No. 2024-245 and the staff report as Exhibit 4.)
•The City Council approved a smaller-scale project with limited intersection
improvements on April 29, 2025. (See Resolution No. 2025-101 as Exhibit 5.)
•On May 20, 2025, staff submitted a grant amendment request to SANDAG to extend the
grant by 36 months and to use the remaining balance of $452,643 for the construction
phase only.
•On Oct. 31, 2025, the SANDAG Board approved a 42-month grant extension with the
provision that if the work is not completed by Nov. 8, 2028, the city would return any
funds up to the remaining balance of $452,643. The remaining grant funds are to be
returned to SANDAG if the City Council does not approve the terms of the grant
amendment.
Grant terms
The grant was initially approved in the amount of $1,054,000, with a remaining grant balance of
approximately $452,643 when the grant expired on May 8, 2025.
Current project status
Staff have proceeded with design of the revised project scope that the City Council approved on
April 29, 2025. Staff are now reviewing the 60%-complete design that was recently provided by
the consultant. Staff anticipate that the project’s design would be completed in summer 2026
and that staff would return to the City Council for approval of the plans, specifications and
contract documents and authorization to bid for construction in late summer 2026.
Staff also met with the California Coastal Commission staff on July 24, 2025, and received a
preliminary decision that a coastal development permit exemption would be provided pending
a final decision when the 15-20%-complete plans are provided. In October 2025, staff provided
30% design plans for Coastal Commission staff review, and in November 2025, staff provided
the 60% design plans for Coastal Commission staff review. Staff will follow up with Coastal
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Commission staff to confirm that processing a waiver for a coastal development permit is
acceptable.
Fiscal Analysis
Sufficient funds are available in the budget for this project, Capital Improvement Program
Project No. 6058, if the grant term is extended. Staff plan to include a construction cost forecast
of approximately $2.1 million in the fiscal year 2026-27 Capital Improvement Program Project
budget. If the City Council does not approve the terms of the grant conditions, the construction
forecast would increase to approximately $2.6 million.
Next Steps
Upon the City Council’s approval of the conditions of the SANDAG Active Transportation Grant,
staff will work with SANDAG staff to extend the grant through Nov. 8, 2028.
Staff will continue working with the Coastal Commission staff on the coastal development
permit exemption and with the Planning staff on the environmental clearance and permitting.
Staff will continue working with the consultant to complete the final engineering and will return
to the City Council for approval of the plans, specifications and contract documents and
authorization to bid for construction in late summer 2026.
Environmental Evaluation
The proposed action is not a “project” as defined by California Environmental Quality Act, or
CEQA, Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines 15378(b)(4) and does not require environmental
review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) because the approval of grant funding
conditions is a government fiscal activity which on its own does not involve any commitment to
any specific project which may result in a potentially significant impact on the environment.
Applying for or accepting the grant does not have a legally binding effect on any possible future
discretionary action. The activities or projects for which this funding is intended may require
preparation of an environmental document in accordance with CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines.
The proposed action will not foreclose review of alternatives or mitigation measures by the
public as part of the environmental review process.
Exhibits
1. City Council resolution
2. Location map
3. Staff Report from the July 18, 2023, City Council Meeting (on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
4. Staff Report from the Nov. 12, 2024, City Council Meeting (on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
5. Staff Report from the April 29, 2025, City Council Meeting (on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
Carlsbad Boulevard and Tamarack Avenue Intersection Improvements Project
Capital Improvement Program Project No. 6058
Total appropriation to date $2,908,569
Total expenditures and encumbrances to date -$1,918,702
Total available funding $989,867
Expired SANDAG Active Transportation Grant funds -$452,643
Remaining balance (estimated, if grant amendment is not approved) $537,224
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Exhibit 1
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-254 .
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD,
CALIFORNIA, APPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF THE SAN DIEGO
ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION GRANT
AMENDMENT FOR THE CARLSBAD BOULEVARD AND TAMARACK AVENUE
INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT
WHEREAS, on May 9, 2016, the city was awarded a $1,054,000 grant as part of the San Diego
Association of Governments, or SANDAG, Active Transportation Grant Program; and
WHEREAS, the grant was extended twice and expired on May 8, 2025; and
WHEREAS, on April 29, 2025, staff presented three options to the City Council, who selected
Option 3 for a smaller-scale project with limited intersection improvements, Resolution No. 2025-101,
for the Carlsbad Boulevard and Tamarack Avenue Intersection Improvements Project, Capital
Improvement Program, or CIP, Project No. 6058, or Project; and
WHEREAS, on May 20, 2025, staff submitted a grant amendment request to SANDAG to extend
the grant by 36 months to May 8, 2028, and to use the remaining balance of approximately $452,643
for the construction phase only; and
WHEREAS, on Oct. 31, 2025, the SANDAG Board approved a 42-month grant extension with the
provision that if the work is not completed in 42 months, which is Nov. 8, 2028, the city would return
any reimbursed funds up to the remaining balance of $452,643 and that if the City Council does not
approve the terms of the grant extension, that the remaining grant funds would return to the SANDAG
Active Transportation Grant Program; and
WHEREAS, no additional funding is needed at this time.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as
follows:
1.That the above recitations are true and correct.
2.That the proposed action is not a “project” as defined by California Environmental
Quality Act, or CEQA, Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines 15378(b)(4) and does not
require environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) because the
approval of grant funding conditions is a government fiscal activity which on its own
does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a
potentially significant impact on the environment. Applying for or accepting the grant
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does not have a legally binding effect on any possible future discretionary action. The
activities or projects for which this funding is intended may require preparation of an
environmental document in accordance with CEQA and CEQA Guidelines.
3.That the City Council approves the conditions of the SANDAG grant amendment in the
Active Transportation Grant Program for the Carlsbad Boulevard and Tamarack Avenue
Intersection Improvements Project, CIP Project No. 6058.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City
of Carlsbad on the 2nd day of December, 2025, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Blackburn, Bhat-Patel, Acosta, Burkholder, Shin.
NAYS: None.
ABSTAIN: None.
ABSENT: None.
______________________________________
KEITH BLACKBURN, Mayor
______________________________________
SHERRY FREISINGER, City Clerk
(SEAL)
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PROJECT NAME EXHIBITPROJECTNUMBER60582CARLSBAD BLVD & TAMARACK AVE
SITE
LOCATION MAP
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Vicinity Map
SITE³NOT TO SCALE
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PLOT DATE: 11/3/2025 PATH: T:\Mariel_Cairns\LocationMaps\CIP6058_CarlsbadBlvd_TamarackAve\CarlsbadBlvd_TamarackAv_CIP6058.mxdAuthor: Andy Chang
Exhibit 2
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Exhibit 3
Staff Report from the July 18, 2023, City Council Meeting
(on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
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Exhibit 4
Staff Report from the Nov. 12, 2024, City Council Meeting
(on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
Dec. 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 8 of 9
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Exhibit 5
Staff Report from the April 29, 2025, City Council Meeting
(on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
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