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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-03-15; Parks & Recreation Commission; 0310-4; Calavera Hills Village H South Trail Status ReportPARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION - AGENDA BILL AB#: MTG. DATE: 0310-4 03/15/10 STAFF: KETABIAN CALAVERA HILLS VILLAGE H (SOUTH) TRAILSTATUS REPORT | ACTION m INFO RECOMMENDED ACTION: Receive a report on the status of the Calavera Hills Village H (South) trail. ITEM EXPLANATION: Calavera Hills Village H is located in north Carlsbad. The site is approximately 60 acres in size and straddles Carlsbad Village Drive. See attached Exhibit 1. The zoning for all of Village H is regulated by the Calavera Hills Master Plan. The Master Plan has been amended numerous times since it was approved in 1974. In 2002 the owner (McMillin at that time) amended the Calavera Hills Master Plan to change the General Plan designation on the Village H lot to Open Space (OS) and Community Facilities (CF). A 3.5 acre area is designated as Community Facilities south of Victoria Ave. and the rest of the site is designated as General Plan Open Space. The Master Plan amendment was approved with the wording that the City Council shall retain jurisdiction over uses proposed for Village H and shall act as the final decision maker on such uses following a recommendation from the Planning commission. More recently, in early 2008, the City Council considered purchasing the Village H property at a closed session meeting. The city declined the offer from Calavera Hills II LLC (owner) at that time since purchasing the property would not significantly add open space to the city (more than 94 percent of the site is already set aside as open space). The City's Open Space and Conservation Resource Management Plan (OSCRMP) includes the conceptual alignments for the City's trails. Trails in the Village H south area are described in the OSCRMP as Carlsbad Trails System Segment No. 13. Formal designations and recorded trail easements occur as part of the development application process. The public trail easement for Village H south will be recorded when the Minor Subdivision mapping is recorded for Village H south. The trail north of Carlsbad Village Dr. that is also in Village H open space was recorded as public trail easement to the City in 2006. In April 2009, The Thompson Corporation purchased Village H and installed a six foot rail fence around the properties north boundary. A "No Trespassing" sign and a gate were later installed at the trail head off of Victoria Avenue. Shortly thereafter in early summer a lock was installed on the gate to prevent the public from using the property. Since that time, neighbors and residents of Calavera Hills have been organizing efforts and approaching the City Council to either open the trail or purchase the property south of Victoria Ave. In June of 2009, City staff met with the new owner to discuss proposed plans for a community facility and public trail on the southern section of Village H. In addition the Parks and Recreation Director opened discussions with the new property owner to consider a Joint Use Agreement to allow for the trail to be opened to the public while the current owner goes through the. development process. The owner seemed amicable about signing and recording the Joint Use Agreement prior to submitting the required City permits for development on the property. Parks and Recreation staff and the City Attorney's office recently finalized the Joint Use Agreement to allow for the public trail use on the southern portion of the property until the final mapping is completed and a formal trail easement is recorded as part of the conditions of approval for the development of the property. The final draft of the Joint Use Agreement has been sent to the property owner (March 8) and staff expects a response in the near future and final execution of the agreement is anticipated to be complete by the end of March, barring any unforeseen glitches. At the March 9th, City Council meeting, a presentation was given by Walt Meier, and Gigi Orlowski both residents of Calavera Hills. They requested that City Council again consider purchasing the Village H property. Following the citizen presentation, Gary Barbaric, Community and Economic Development Director, gave a presentation providing background on the land use planning designations of Calavera Hills Village H, including history of the site prior to purchase by The Thompson Corporation. Parks and Recreation Staff also answered questions pertaining to the trail development and the status of the interim Joint Use Agreement. Council accepted the presentation and staff was not directed to take any further action on the item. FISCAL IMPACT There will be an immediate fiscal impact to the city associated with an interim Joint Use Agreement for the public trail use as well as ongoing maintenance costs. One time, initial costs for trail improvements are estimated at $9,500. The improvements include: installation of post and rail fencing, trail signage, pet waste stations, tree removal and/or trimming of Eucalyptus trees, storm water protection materials, and minor grading to improve the trail surface conditions. The ongoing maintenance costs for the Village H (South) trail area, including maintenance of the above improvements, are estimated at $6,500 annually. These expected ongoing maintenance costs for the trail area will be submitted as part of the FY 2010-11 Trails Maintenance Budget. The one time, initial improvement costs, and the maintenance costs for the trail area for the remainder of this fiscal year, would be funded through the FY 2009-10 Parks and Recreation contingency funds. EXHIBITS: 1. Calavera Hills Village H and Vicinity map 2. Aerial view of Calavera Hills Village H (South) open space and trail area EXHIBIT 1 Village H Open Space Community Facility Site \« Calavera Hills Village H Vicinity Map North Trail head ^jk^rs -p i ^i L.» / x^ mx ro H ro