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Home My WebLink About2022-02-07; Traffic and Mobility Commission; ; South Carlsbad Coastline Project: Establish the Project Vision and Guiding PrinciplesItem 3 Meeting Date: Feb. 7, 2022 To: Traffic and Mobility Commission Staff Contact: Nikki Matosian, Community Relations Manager Nikki.Matosian@carlsbadca.gov or 760-434-2841 Subject: South Carlsbad Coastline Project: Establish the Project Vision and Guiding Principles Recommended Action Provide feedback on the values, needs, and priorities for the future use of south Carlsbad Boulevard. Executive Summary At its Sept. 21, 2021, meeting, the City Council asked staff to develop a public engagement plan that would do two things: 1.Involve the public in creating a vision and guiding principles for the future of south Carlsbad Boulevard that further defines the General Plan’s guiding principles to reflect the community’s values, priorities, needs and concerns related to this space. 2.Engage the community in the design of a 1-mile project from Manzano Drive to Island Way that is being funded by a grant to study how to adapt public infrastructure to climate change. This includes: •Roadway design: In moving the southbound lanes to the east, farther away from the ocean, the design of the road would change. The eastward boundary of the alignment is fairly set, based on the location of the northbound lanes and the extent of the city’s right-of-way, but the public input could influence the number of lanes, the types of intersection controls used, such as roundabouts or traffic signals, and the types and locations of bike lanes and walking paths. •Coastal uses: Moving the roadway to the east would free up coastal land for other uses, such as parking and parks spaces for gathering, recreation and expanded trails and bike paths. Public input could help prioritize and shape the design of this space. This item is the first phase of public input which will help guide future changes along south Carlsbad Boulevard, starting with the design of a one-mile segment related to the South Carlsbad Boulevard Climate Adaption Project. Feedback for the design of that segment of the project is anticipated in spring 2022. Feb. 7, 2022 Item #3 1 Background Carlsbad’s southern coastline is largely unchanged from the car-centric 1950s, when Highway 101 (Carlsbad Boulevard) served as the main north-south corridor in the state. Today, I-5 serves this purpose, creating an opportunity to reclaim the southern coastal corridor as a place for the community to enjoy. In addition to reconfiguring the road to create more public spaces, the road eventually needs to be moved away from the coast to protect it from rising sea levels. By moving vehicle traffic to the easternmost lanes of Carlsbad Boulevard, about 60 acres of city- owned land spanning three miles of coastline could be freed up for parks, walking paths, bike lanes, parking, picnic areas, artwork and other uses the community would enjoy. To put this in perspective, Carlsbad’s largest park, Poinsettia Community Park, is about 42 acres. The beachfront park at Pine Avenue is less than one acre. Carlsbad Boulevard Realignment Project The Carlsbad Boulevard Realignment Project is included in the city’s Capital Improvements Program (project No. 6031). The project involves conducting “a study of future roadway realignment alternatives, infrastructure needs, land uses, commercial land development options, public park and coastal access opportunities, and related long term coastal planning issues, constraints and processes.” From 2010 to 2013, city staff explored options to realign south Carlsbad Boulevard in conjunction with a land swap that would consolidate a patchwork of city-owned land and state- owned land into larger parcels, providing greater options for future uses. Given the complexities of the land swap, the City Council directed staff in 2013 to redefine the project to focus only on land owned and controlled by the city, and, in general, to focus coastal improvements on projects where the city owns or controls the land. As a result, the current project description includes only the city’s right of way and city-owned land along the coast from Manzano Drive to La Costa Avenue. City staff have moved forward with other coastal improvements since 2013, including the Terramar Area Coastal Improvements Project, which is in the permitting process. Staff have also begun to design improvements around the intersection of Tamarack Avenue and Carlsbad Boulevard. Because staff are focused on these other coastal improvements, the Carlsbad Boulevard Realignment project is not currently part of the city’s current workplan. South Carlsbad Boulevard Climate Adaptation Project On May 5, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2020-077, under which the city Feb. 7, 2022 Item #3 2 accepted a $498,075 grant from the California Coastal Conservancy and entered into a research agreement with the University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography for the South Carlsbad Boulevard Climate Adaptation Project. The project is focused on relocating the southbound lanes of Carlsbad Boulevard from approximately Manzano Drive to 400 feet south of Island Way eastward to maximize the roadway's resiliency to coastal flooding and cliff erosion. Under the terms of the grant, this study, which includes a 15 to 30% conceptual design of the project area, must be completed by Feb. 28, 2023. Public engagement approach Because the climate adaptation project must be completed by the grant deadline, staff would need to engage the community in the design of the project area which started in fall 2021. To help ensure the design is considered in the context of the entire south Carlsbad Boulevard corridor, the City Council asked staff at its Sept. 21, 2021, meeting to include a visioning component to the outreach plan, involving a broad cross section of community interests. Discussion As part of the project visioning process city staff is seeking feedback from the Traffic & Mobility Commission on the values, needs and priorities related to south Carlsbad Boulevard, such as: • What does the public like about Carlsbad’s coastline today? • What activities do the public enjoy most when visiting the coast? • What activities would the public like to do if they were available? • What kinds of experiences would the public like to have along the coast? • What’s missing today? • What challenges, if any, does the public face in getting to the coastline? How can access be improved? • Does this area feel safe? Why or why not? • How can the city best balance the uses that generate revenue to fund public amenities with the space for people to enjoy those amenities? The feedback collected based on these key questions will then be shared with the public and City Council to develop guiding principles for the project area and to inform the design alternatives for the 1-mile project area. Next Steps Throughout February, the project team will continue to gather public input regarding the project vision from the community, key project stakeholders, and city boards and commissions. Input over the next few months and project design alternatives will be developed in the following phases: 1. Goals and ideas (Current Phase; January – February 2022) 2. Feedback on the draft design of the 1-mile pilot project between Manzano to Island Way (May – June 2022) 3. Finalize conceptual designs, present to City Council. Receive direction on the next step, which could include seeking funding for final design and construction. (August 2022) Feb. 7, 2022 Item #3 3 4. Seek direction on the Carlsbad Boulevard Realignment study segment, the 2-mile portion of Carlsbad Boulevard between Island Way and the Batiquitos Lagoon. (August 2022) Exhibits 1) Project Maps 2) Project Website: https://www.carlsbadca.gov/departments/parks-recreation/coastal- corridor/south-carlsbad-coastline-project Feb. 7, 2022 Item #3 4 PALOMAR AIRPORT RDCARLSBAD BL A V E N I D A E N C I N A S !"^$ C A R L S B A D E N C I N I T A SPOINSETTIALN CARLSBAD BLMANZANO DRPA S EODELNORTE AVENIDA ENCINAS PASEO D E L N O R T E CARLSBADBL CAR COUN T RY DR* Right-of-way and property boundaries are approximate and intended for planning level analysis only Land Ownership* City of Carlsbad State of California South Carlsbad Coastline Land Ownership Exhibit 1 Feb. 7, 2022 Item #3 5 PALOMAR AIRPORT RDISLANDWYMANZANO DRCARLSBAD BL AVENIDA EN CI N AS CARLSBAD BL J:\RequestsMarch2015\CityManager\RITM0025406_21\Carlsbad Blvd Ownership - North -11x17.mxd * Right-of-way and property boundaries are approximate and intended for planning level analysis only Land Ownership* City of Carlsbad State of California AVEN IDA ENC INA S !"^$ PACIFIC OCEANPALOMARAIRPORTRD LACOSTAAVPOINSETTIA LNCARLSBAD BLCANNONRD AVENIDAENCINAS CARLSBADBL CARLSBADENCIN ITAS Area of Interest – Palomar Airport Road South Carlsbad Coastline Land OwnershipPalomar Airport Road Exhibit 1 Feb. 7, 2022 Item #3 6 PONTORDAVENIDA ENCINAS ISLANDWYPOINSETTIALNAVENIDA ENCINAS CARLSBAD BL C A R L S B AD BL J:\RequestsMarch2015\CityManager\RITM0025406_21\Carlsbad Blvd Ownership - Middle -11x17.mxd * Right-of-way and property boundaries are approximate and intended for planning level analysis only Land Ownership* City of Carlsbad State of CaliforniaAV EN I D A ENC INA S !"^$ PACIFIC OCEANCANNONRDPALOMARAIRPORTRD LACOSTAAVPOINSETTIA LNCARLSBAD BL AVENIDAENCINAS CARLSBADBL CARLSBADENCIN ITAS Area of Interest – Poinsettia Lane South Carlsbad Coastline Land OwnershipPoinsettia Lane Exhibit 1 Feb. 7, 2022 Item #3 7 PONTORDCARLSBADENCINITASLACOSTAAVCARLSBAD BL PONTO DR AV E N I D A ENCI NASJ:\RequestsMarch2015\CityManager\RITM0025406_21\Carlsbad Blvd Ownership - South -11x17.mxd * Right-of-way and property boundaries are approximate and intended for planning level analysis only Land Ownership* City of Carlsbad State of CaliforniaAV EN I D A ENC INA S !"^$ PACIFIC OCEANCANNONRDPALOMARAIRPORTRD LACOSTAAVPOINSETTIA LNCARLSBAD BL AVENIDAENCINAS CARLSBADENCIN ITAS Area of Interest – Avenida Encinas South Carlsbad Coastline Land OwnershipAvenida Encinas Exhibit 1 Feb. 7, 2022 Item #3 8