HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-07-12; City Council; Resolution 2022-172RESOLUTION NO. 2022-172
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD,
CALIFORNIA, ACCEPTING THE FISCAL YEAR 2020-21 GROWTH
MANAGEMENT PLAN MONITORING REPORT
WHEREAS, in 1986, the city adopted Proposition E (Growth Management Plan), which amended
the General Plan to ensure that adequate public facilities are provided concurrent with growth; and
WHEREAS, the Growth Management Plan (GMP) is implemented through Carlsbad Municipal
Code Chapter 21.90 and the Citywide Facilities and Improvements Plan; and
WHEREAS, Carlsbad Municipal Code Section 21.90.130(d) requires the City Planner to prepare
an annual monitoring report to the City Council on the GMP that is to include an analysis of
development activity, public facilities and improvements, and public facility financing.
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 Fiscal Year 2020-21 GMP Monitoring Report satisfies Carlsbad Municipal Code
Section 21.90.130(d) by providing information to the City Council regarding the status
of the Carlsbad Growth Management Plan for the fiscal year covering July 1, 2020-June
30, 2021.
3.That the Fiscal Year 2020-21 GMP Monitoring Report (Attachment A) is accepted, and
the City Planner shall file the report and post it to the city website.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of
Carlsbad on the 12th day of :!.!!.!Y, 2022, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NAYS:
ABSENT:
Hall, Blackburn, Bhat-Patel, Acosta.
None.
Norby.
L/ FAVIOLA �lerk Services Manager f"' (SEAL)
Exhibit 1
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 13 of 690
CITY OF CARLSBAD
Fiscal Year 2020-21
Growth Management Plan Monitoring Report
July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021
Carlsbad City Council
Matt Hall, Mayor
Peder Norby, District 1
Keith Blackburn, District 2
Priya Bhat-Patel, District 3
Teresa Acosta, District 4
Report prepared in cooperation with the following departments:
Community Development
Fire
Parks & Recreation
Library & Cultural Arts
Transportation
Utilities
Carlsbad Municipal Water District
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 14 of 690
Attachment A
INTRODUCTION
Carlsbad Municipal Code Section 21.90.130(d) requires the preparation of an annual monitoring report on the
Growth Management Plan. This report satisfies this requirement by providing information regarding the status of
the Carlsbad Growth Management Plan for the fiscal year covering July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021, and to verify that
the plan is continuing to accomplish its stated objectives.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT PLAN OVERVIEW
Carefully managing growth and development is critical to maintaining the City of Carlsbad’s excellent quality of
life. In 1986, the City Council passed a growth management ordinance, Citywide Facilities Improvements Plan
(including performance standards) which put conditions on how growth could occur, including the requirement
that new development must plan for, construct and pay for the public infrastructure and facilities necessary to
serve the new development. That November, city voters passed Proposition E, which affirmed the general
principles of the Growth Management Plan (GMP) and the residential growth caps. The principle behind the
GMP is to ensure that new development and growth does not outpace the performance standards established
for public facilities such as roads, parks and emergency services. New development must be measured against
the GMP standards and show that they comply with the requirements before being approved.
There are eleven performance standards identified in the GMP, which cover the following city public facilities: City
Administration facilities, libraries, wastewater treatment facilities, parks, drainage, circulation, fire open space,
sewer collection and water distribution systems. To ensure that established performance standards could be
achieved, the GMP directed the development of financing and management plans describing how/when the public
facilities will be developed. The subsections below provide additional information.
• Performance Standards
Proposition E established broad guidelines for determining adequacy of public facilities. These guidelines are
further defined in the Citywide Facilities and Improvements Plan by means of specific performance standards
for each of the eleven public facilities. These public facilities, their performance standards, status, and
anticipated adequacy at buildout are outlined in Table 1 below:
TABLE 1
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Public
Facility
Performance
Standard
Page
City Administrative
Facilities
1,500 sq. ft. per 1,000 population must be scheduled for
construction within a five-year period or prior to
construction of 6,250 dwelling units, beginning at the time
the need is first identified.
10
Library 800 sq. ft. (of library space) per 1,000 population must be
scheduled for construction within a five-year period or prior
to construction of 6,250 dwelling units, beginning at the time
the need is first identified.
12
Wastewater
Treatment
Sewer plant capacity is adequate for at least a five-year
period.
14
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 15 of 690
Parks 3.0 acres of Community Park or Special Use Area per 1,000
population within the Park District must be scheduled for
construction within a five year period beginning at the time
the need is first identified. The five-year period shall not
commence prior to August 22, 2017.
15
Drainage Drainage facilities must be provided as required by the city
concurrent with development.
18
Circulation Implement a comprehensive livable streets network that
serves all users of the system – vehicles, pedestrians,
bicycles and public transit. Maintain LOS D or better for all
modes that are subject to this multi-modal level of service
(MMLOS) standard, as identified in Table 3-1 of the General
Plan Mobility Element, excluding LOS exempt intersections
and streets approved by the City Council.
20
Fire No more than 1,500 dwelling units outside of a five-minute
response time.
30
Open Space Fifteen percent of the total land area in the Local Facility
Management Zone (LFMZ) exclusive of environmentally
constrained non-developable land must be set aside for
permanent open space and must be available concurrent
with development.
32
Schools School capacity to meet projected enrollment within the
Local Facility Management Zone (LFMZ) as determined by
the appropriate school district must be provided prior to
projected occupancy.
34
Sewer Collection
System
Trunk-line capacity to meet demand, as determined by the
appropriate sewer districts, must be provided concurrent
with development.
35
Water Distribution
System
Line capacity to meet demand as determined by the
appropriate water district must be provided concurrent with
development. A minimum of 10-day average storage
capacity must be provided prior to any development.
37
As indicated in Table 1, the performance standards for open space and schools are based on a “Local Facility
Management Zone,” which is discussed in the subsection below entitled “Facility and Improvement Plans.”
The performance standards for city administrative facilities, library facilities, and parks are stated in terms of
population, which is discussed in the subsection below entitled “Population.”
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 16 of 690
Figure 1
FACILITY AND IMPROVEMENT PLANS
To develop a road map for how the above standards could be
met, a Citywide Facilities and Improvements Plan was created in
1986 that detailed how compliance with the performance
standards will be achieved, how the necessary public facilities
will be provided, and what financing mechanisms will be used
for the facilities. Because planned development and growth
varied throughout the city and at different levels, Carlsbad was
divided into twenty-five Local Facilities Management Zones
(LFMZ), which is reflected in Figure 1 on the right. Each LFMZ
was required to have an adopted Local Facilities Management
Plan (LFMP) prior to any development in the LFMZ. Consistent
with the GMP and the Citywide Facilities and Improvements
Plan, each LFMP must describe how the LFMZ will be developed,
how the required public facilities will be provided, and how
those facilities will be paid for.
FAILURE TO MEET A PERFORMANCE STANDARD
The Growth Management Plan generally calls for development activity to stop if a performance standard is not
being met. However, as outlined in the subsequent subsection, these regulations have been largely preempted
by state law.
• Administrative facilities, library, and wastewater treatment capacity are facilities that serve the entire city.
Their adequacy in meeting the performance standard is analyzed by considering the cumulative impact of
citywide development. The failure of any one of these facilities to meet the adopted performance standard
would affect the city as a whole. In that event, all development in the city would be halted until the
deficiency is corrected.
• Parks are analyzed on a quadrant basis. This means that if the standard is not being met in the quadrant,
development is halted for all Local Facility Management Zones (LFMZs, see description below) in the
quadrant.
• Fire facilities are analyzed on the basis of fire station districts which can comprise multiple LFMZs, and if the
standard is not met for a district, then development would be halted in that district.
• The remaining facilities (drainage, circulation, open space, schools, sewer collection system, and water
distribution system) are analyzed on an LFMZ basis. If one of these facilities falls below the performance
standard in a given LFMZ, development in that LFMZ would stop and other zones would not be affected if
they are continuing to meet all performance standards.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 17 of 690
IMPACTS OF STATE LAW
According to the Growth Management Plan, development activity cannot proceed if either the residential
growth caps or public facility performance standards are not met. However, updates to state law and the city’s
Housing Element have modified these components of the GMP.
In 2017 the California Legislature passed SB 166, known as the No Net Loss Law, which requires local
jurisdictions to ensure that their housing element inventories can accommodate, at all times throughout the
planning period, their remaining unmet share of the regional housing need. The California Department of
Housing and Community Development (HCD) has taken the following positions with respect to Carlsbad: that
failure to meet the GMP performance standards cannot be used as a basis for implementing a moratorium that
precludes meeting Carlsbad’s share of the regional housing need, and that the GMP residential unit caps could
not prevent the city from achieving consistency with the Housing Element inventory and SB 166. In 2019, the
legislature passed SB 330, the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, which prohibits local jurisdictions from imposing
moratoriums on housing development and using residential housing caps or other limits to regulate the number
of housing units built within a jurisdiction.
As noted in the City’s May 5, 2020 staff report, Item 12,1 Senate Bill 166 of 2017 states that “Each city, county,
or city and county shall ensure that its housing element inventory… can accommodate, at all times throughout
the planning period, its remaining unmet share of the regional housing need allocated pursuant to Section
65584.” Furthermore, where housing is an allowable use, Senate Bill 330 (2019)] prohibits a city from enacting a
“development policy, standard or condition” that would have the effect of “imposing a moratorium or similar
restriction or limitation on housing development ... other than to specifically protect against an imminent threat
to the health and safety of persons residing in, or within the immediate vicinity of, the area subject to the
moratorium...”
On April 17, 2020, the city received an opinion from the California Department of Housing and Community
Development regarding the city’s ability to implement a moratorium under the City's Growth Management Plan
where vehicular deficiencies exist (CMC §§ 21.90.080 and 21.90.130) in light of SB 330. The department’s
opinion concludes that "the housing moratorium adopted pursuant to the city’s GMP would be impermissible
under Government Code section 66300.” “HCD does not consider, however, that general concerns about the
health and welfare of the citizenry-including traffic conditions that cause minor delays-present an imminent
threat to health and safety.” In Resolution No. 2020-104, No 2020-105, No 2020-106, No 2020-208, City Council
similarly concluded that “The City finds that Gov. Code § 65863(a) (SB 166 [2017]) and Gov. Code, §
66300(b)(1)(B)(i) (SB 330 [2019]) preempt the City from implementing a moratorium pursuant to Carlsbad
Municipal Code §§ 21.90.080 and 21.90.130 and GMP regulations.”
The City reached similar conclusions with the adoption of its Housing Element in April 2021. (Resolution No.
2021-074.) More specifically, that resolution states “Consistent with Updated Housing Element Program 2.2, the
City Council finds that Government Code Sections 65583(a)(3) and 65863(a) (SB 166 [2017]) and Government
Code Section 66300(b)(1)(D) (SB 330 [2019]) preempt the city from implementing residential growth
management plan caps, residential quadrant limits, and residential control points. Consequently, the City finds
that it cannot and will not enforce these residential caps, quadrant limits, and control points, including but not
limited to those contained in the General Plan (including, but not limited to the Land Use and Community Design
Element Table 2-3, Section 2.6, Policy 2-P.8(a) and (b), Policy 2- P.16(d), and Policy 2-P.57), Growth Management
1 City Council May 5, 2020 Staff Report, Item 12 available at: https://carlsbadca.swagit.com/play/05052020-
1021#full-agenda
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 18 of 690
Plan (Proposition E); City Council Policy Statement No. 43, Carlsbad Municipal Code Chapter 21.90 including but
not limited to CMC §§ 21.90.030 (b), 21.90.045 and 21.90.185.”
SUMMARY STATUS OF GMP COMPLIANCE FOR REPORTING PERIOD
As further detailed in this report, and summarized in Table 2 below, the city met the GMP performance
standards for the eleven public facilities and city residential growth caps for the FY2020-2021 reporting period.
TABLE 2
FACILITY ADEQUACY STATUS
Public Facility FY 2020-21 Adequacy Status
(Meets performance standard?)
Buildout Adequacy Status
(Meets performance standard?)
City Administrative Facilities Yes Yes
Library Yes Additional facilities to be provided
Wastewater Treatment Capacity Yes Yes
Parks Yes Additional facilities to be provided
Drainage Yes Additional facilities to be provided
Circulation No Additional facilities to be provided
Fire Yes Yes
Open Space Yes Additional facilities to be provided
Schools Yes Yes
Sewer Collection System Yes Additional facilities to be provided
Water Distribution System Yes Additional facilities to be provided
POPULATION
Existing Population
The performance standards for city administrative facilities, library facilities, and parks are stated in terms of
population. The demand for these facilities is based on each new dwelling unit built and the estimated number
of new residents it adds to the city, which is determined using the average number of persons per dwelling unit.
Utilizing data from the 2020 Federal Census (total population divided by total number of dwelling units), the
average for Carlsbad is 2.404 persons per dwelling unit.
As of June 30, 2021, the city’s population is estimated to be 116,025, which is calculated by multiplying 2.404
persons per dwelling unit by the number of dwelling units, accessory dwelling units, and commercial living units
(which were counted as dwelling units in the 2020 Federal Census); in total there are 48,118 dwellings and
commercial living units, as shown in Table 3 below. The population estimates are for growth management facility
planning purposes only and may vary from population estimates for Carlsbad from other agencies, which may use
a different method to estimate population.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 19 of 690
TABLE 3
FY 2020-21 POPULATION CALCULATION
Quadrant Dwelling
units2
Accessory
dwelling units3
Commercial living
units4
Total units Population
NW 12,570 249 226 13,045 31,360
NE 7,417 48 101 7,465 18,189
SW 10,222 38 685 10,945 26,337
SE 16,485 178 - 16,663 40,140
Total 46,694 513 1,012 48,118 116,025
Buildout Population
Table 4 estimates the number of dwellings that will exist at buildout based on current General Plan residential
land use designations; this estimate assumes that the residentially designated land currently developed with non-
residential uses will not all be developed with residential uses in the future.
TABLE 4 – ESTIMATED DWELLING UNITS AND POPULATION AT BUILDOUT
Quadrant Dwelling Units Population
NW 15,209 39,126
NE 8,940 22,741
SW 11,215 28,834
SE 16,899 42,548
Total 52,263 133,249
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY
Residential Development Activity
Building permits for 251 new dwelling units were issued during the FY 2020-21. Table 5 provides a breakdown by
quadrant and LFMZ, excluding the zones that had no development activity. Figure 2 shows the recent five-year
trend of building permits issued for dwelling units.
2 Dwelling units represent the dwellings that are counted for purposes of the city’s growth management dwelling unit limits per Proposition E (excludes
accessory dwelling units and commercial living units); the number of dwelling units shown in this table are updated to June 30, 2021.
3 Accessory dwelling units are accessory to single family dwellings and are separate dwelling units with living space, kitchen and bathroom facilities. Pursuant to state law, accessory dwelling units cannot be counted as dwellings for purposes of the city’s growth management dwelling limits. However, the units are counted here to ensure all city population is considered in regard to the performance standards for administrative facilities, libraries and parks.
4 Commercial living units, as shown in this table, are professional care facility living units that were counted as dwelling units in the 2020 Federal Census.
Pursuant to city ordinance (CMC Section 21.04.093), commercial living units are not counted as dwellings for purposes of the city’s growth management dwelling limits. However, the units are counted here to ensure all city population is considered in regard to the performance standards for administrative facilities, libraries and parks.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 20 of 690
TABLE 5 – FY 2020-21 RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
Quadrant LFMZ Units Built
NW 1 120
Total NW 120
NE
2 3
7 1
25 36
Total NE 40
SW
4 2
19 2
20 8
21 58
Total SW 70
SE
6 18
11 1
12 2
Total SE 21
Total Citywide 251
FIGURE 2 - FISCAL YEAR DWELLING UNITS PERMITTED
2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
# units 952 341 375 242 251
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 21 of 690
Non-Residential Development Activity
Building permits for 216,834 square feet of new non-residential construction were issued during FY 2020-21,
comprising both commercial and industrial development. Table 6 provides a breakdown by quadrant and LFMZ,
excluding the zones that had no development activity. Figure 3 shows the recent five-year trend of building
permits issued for the square footage of non-residential construction.
TABLE 6 – FY 2020-21 NON-RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
Quadrant LFMZ Commercial
(SF)
Industrial
(SF)
Combined
(SF)
NW 1 10,537 - 10,537
13 1,165 - 1,165
Total NW 11,702 - 11,702
NE
5 - 4,593 4,593
15 128,314 - 128,314
16 48,087 - 48,087
Total NE 176,401 4,593 180,994
SW 21 392 - 392
Total SW 392 - 392
SE 12 23,746 23,746
Total SE 23,746 - 23,746
Total Citywide 212,241 4,593 216,834
FIGURE 3 – FISCAL YEAR NON-RESIDENTIAL SQUARE FEET PERMITTED
2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2019-20 2020-21
Square Feet 1,210,993 1,643,467 315,194 372,455 216,834
-
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 22 of 690
Residential Growth Caps
A. Standard
The GMP, and Prop E, established the total maximum number of residential dwelling units that can be
constructed citywide, which is distributed by quadrant as reflected below.
NORTHWEST QUADRANT NORTHEAST QUADRANT SOUTHWEST QUADRANT SOUTHEAST QUADRANT CITYWIDE TOTAL
15,370 9,042 12,859 17,328 54,599
B. FY 2020-21 Analysis
Although the city cannot require compliance with the dwelling unit caps as noted previously, the
dwelling units status is monitored for reference. Proposition E states “the maximum number of
residential dwelling units to be constructed or approved in the city after November 4, 1986 is as follows:
Northwest Quadrant 5,844; Northeast Quadrant 6,166; Southwest Quadrant 10,667; Southeast
Quadrant 10,801.” This resulted in dwelling unit caps as shown in Table 6 (see the totals for each
quadrant below). All quadrants are currently in compliance with the dwelling unit caps established by
Proposition E for FY 2020-21. As noted above in Table 3, accessory dwelling units and commercial living
units are not counted as dwellings for purposes of Growth Management Plan compliance with the
Proposition E caps.
TABLE 6 – FY 2020-21 RESIDENTIAL DWELLING STATUS PER QUADRANT
As of June 30, 2021
NORTHWEST QUADRANT NORTHEAST
QUADRANT
SOUTHWEST
QUADRANT
SOUTHEAST
QUADRANT
CITYWIDE
TOTAL Outside
Village Village Total
NW
Proposition E
Quadrant Dwelling
Cap
15,370 9,042 12,859 17,328 54,599
Existing Dwellings5 11,879 691 12,570 7,417 10,222 16,485 46,694
Unbuilt Planned
Dwellings6 2,107 276 2,383 1,523 1,702 536 6,144
Total Existing and
Unbuilt Planned
Dwellings
13,986 967 14,953 8,940 11,924 17,021 52,838
Potential Additional
Dwellings7 0 417 417 102 935 307 1,761
5 Existing dwellings represent dwelling units that are counted for purposes of the city’s growth management dwelling unit limits per Proposition E and
exclude accessory dwelling units and commercial living units.
6 All quadrants except the Village - includes unbuilt approved projects, as well as vacant and underdeveloped property designated for residential use by the General Plan. 7 Dwelling unit capacity in addition to what is currently planned by the General Plan or approved as part of an unbuilt project.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 23 of 690
Table 6 represents the number of dwelling units that could be built (based on the applicable growth
management density) on all parcels that have a residential land use designation, according to the 2015
General Plan Land Use Map and approved amendments. Additional amendments to the General Plan
will be necessary to implement the Housing Element that are anticipated to exceed the GMP growth
caps. The “total existing and unbuilt planned dwellings”, as shown in the table, assumes all parcels with
a residential land use designation will be developed with residential dwellings, including land that is
currently developed with non-residential uses (e.g., some existing churches and professional care
facilities are on land designated for residential use). As discussed in Resolution No. 2021-074, to comply
with the City’s RHNA obligations, the City was required by state law to plan for residential units in excess
of the City’s GMP residential limits. The dwelling unit potential for these parcels will continue to be
tracked to monitor status of the Proposition E dwelling unit limits.
C. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
Table 7 estimates the number of dwellings that will exist at buildout based on the general plan; this
estimate assumes that the residentially designated land currently developed with non-residential uses
will not all be developed with residential uses in the future. The estimated number of buildout dwelling
units is less than the growth caps.
TABLE 7 – ESTIMATED DWELLING UNITS AT BUILDOUT
Quadrant Dwelling Units Proposition E Caps
NW 15,209 15,370
NE 8,940 9,042
SW 11,215 12,859
SE 16,899 17,328
Total 52,263 54,599
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 24 of 690
CITY ADMINISTRATIVE FACILITIES
A. Performance Standard
1,500 sq. ft. per 1,000 population must be scheduled for construction within a five-year
period or prior to construction of 6,250 dwelling units, beginning at the time the need is
first identified.
B. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
Based on the estimated June 30, 2021 population estimate of 116,025, the current
demand for administrative facilities is 174,038 square feet. To date, city administrative
facilities exceed the performance standard. The existing inventory of city and Carlsbad
Municipal Water District buildings (leased and owned) occupied for administrative
services are included in Table 8 below:
TABLE 8
Facility Address Square Feet
City Hall Complex 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive 16,000
Faraday Administration Building 1635 Faraday Ave. 68,000
Fleet Service Center 2480 Impala Drive 10,540
Water District (Maintenance & Operations) 5950 El Camino Real 18,212
Parks Yard (Maintenance & Operations) 1166 Carlsbad Village Drive 4,012
Public Works Operations 405 Oak Ave. 9,950
Safety Center (Police and Fire administration) 2560 Orion Way 55,027
First Responder Safety Training Center 5750 Orion Way 15,090
Senior Center (Parks & Recreation
administration) 799 Pine Ave. 5,770
Harding Community Center (Parks &
Recreation administration) 3096 Harding St. 1,335
Total 203,936
C. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
Based on the current General Plan residential land use designations, the projected
buildout population is 133,249, the demand for city administrative facilities will be
199,874 square feet. The existing 203,936 square feet of administrative facilities exceeds
the growth management performance standard at buildout.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 25 of 690
o New Orion Center Project
A development proposal is underway for the Orion Center project, which will centralize
the city’s maintenance and operations functions into a single location on Orion Way.
The goal for the facility is to accommodate the existing and future needs for the
following departments: Public Works (Utilities/CMWD, General Services and
Construction Management & Inspection) and Parks & Recreation (Parks Maintenance).
The proposed project will free up three existing city facilities for redevelopment: 5950 El
Camino Real, 405 Oak Street, and 1166 Carlsbad Village Drive. The new buildings will
provide 85,320 square feet of administrative space, which will be a net increase of
53,146 square feet over the three existing sites which will no longer be needed.
o New City Hall Project
The new city hall project is in the process of identifying spatial requirements for city staff
to determine the size of the new city hall, and site criteria to determine which of four
potential locations is best suited for the new city hall and civic center. The initial project
has three phases, including the 1) Space Needs Analysis Report, 2) Site Criteria Evaluation,
and 3) Best Professional Recommendation. The City Council approved Phases 1 and 2 on
September 17, 2019, with the third phase anticipated to be presented to City Council in
the summer of 2022.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 26 of 690
LIBRARY FACILITIES
A. Performance Standard
800 sq. ft. (of library space) per 1,000 population must be scheduled for construction
within a five-year period or prior to construction of 6,250 dwelling units, beginning at the
time the need is first identified.
Library space (leased/owned, public/non-public) is used as a standard library
measurement of customer use and satisfaction and includes collection space, seating,
meeting rooms, staff areas, technology, and other public facility needs. The performance
standard, stated above, was originally developed based on surveys of other libraries of
comparable size and based on related standards (such as volumes per capita) set by the
American Library Association.
B. FY 2020-21 Inventory and Adequacy of Facilities
The current inventory of library facilities (city-owned) is shown in Table 9 below:
TABLE 9
Facility Square Feet
Dove Library 64,000
Cole Library 24,600
Learning Center 11,393
Total 99,993
Based on the June 30, 2021 population estimate of 116,025, the growth management
standard requires 92,820 sq. ft. of public library space. The city’s current 99,993 sq. ft. of
library facilities adequately meets the growth management standard.
C. Facility Adequacy at Buildout
Based on the current General Plan residential land use designations, the projected
buildout population is 133,874, the demand for library facilities will be 106,600 sq. ft. The
existing 99,993 square feet of library facilities is expected to fall short of the growth
management standard at buildout.
In 2015-16, the city completed major maintenance and renovation for both the Cole and
Dove facilities that addresses current ADA requirements and allows delivery of modern
library services and technology, while extending the life of the Cole Library by 10 to 15
years.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 27 of 690
Built in 1967, the design of the Cole Library could not have contemplated modern library
services including the extensive delivery of electronic resources, automated materials
handling, and the variety of new media formats. Additionally, the library’s role as a
community gathering space has increased. With an already maximized building footprint
and infrastructure constraints, the Cole Library will not expand further to meet these
changing needs. Additional meeting spaces, technology learning labs and maker spaces
are examples of elements desired by the community.
Complete replacement of the Cole facility is included in the Capital Improvement Program
budget between the years 2020 and buildout. Additionally, civic center and city hall site
studies, which are currently underway, will most likely inform the timing and
opportunities for a new Cole facility. One of the sites being considered for a new city hall
and potential civic center is the property that currently includes Cole. As these plans
advance, staff will need to evaluate impacts on a future library space.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 28 of 690
WASTEWATER TREATMENT CAPACITY
D. Performance Standard
Sewer plant capacity is adequate for at least a five-year period.
E. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
The Encina Water Pollution Control Facility (EWPCF) currently provides adequate
capacity in excess of the performance standard. Carlsbad’s FY 2020-21 annual daily
average dry weather sewer flow was 6.31 million gallons per day (MGD) representing 62%
of the city’s 10.26 MGD capacity rights. The city’s annual daily average sewage flow to
the EWPCF for the previous five years is shown in Table 10 below:
TABLE 10
Fiscal Year Annual daily average flow
FY 2016-17 6.32 MGD
FY 2017-18 6.18 MGD
FY 2018-19 6.03 MGD
FY 2019-20 6.31 MGD
FY 2020-21 6.31 MGD
F. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
The Encina Water Pollution Control Facility Phase V Expansion provides adequate sewer
treatment capacity to ensure compliance with the growth management wastewater
performance standard through buildout of the Carlsbad sewer service area.
The City of Carlsbad 2019 Sewer Master Plan Update contains an analysis of annual daily
average sewer flow through buildout (2040) of the city based on the Carlsbad General
Plan land use projections. The analysis indicates that the city’s projected ultimate
buildout flow is approximately 8.31 MGD. The city has purchased capacity rights to 10.26
MGD in the EWPCF, which ensures adequate wastewater treatment capacity is available
to accommodate an unanticipated increase in future sewer flows.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 29 of 690
PARKS
A. Performance Standard
3.0 acres of Community Park or Special Use Area per 1,000 population within the Park
District8 must be scheduled for construction within a five-year period beginning at the
time the need is first identified9. The five-year period shall not commence prior to August
22, 2017.
B. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
To date, all quadrants are in compliance with the performance standard as shown in
Table 11.
TABLE 11
Quadrant Park acreage inventory existing Park acreage required by
Performance Standards
NW 105.2 94.1
NE 45.3 54.6
SW 70.2 79.0
SE 114.9 120.4
Total 335.6 348.1
The performance standard requirement for park acreage for the 2020-2021 period
exceeds the inventory of existing and scheduled park acreage for the NW quadrant.
Although short of the acreage required, these quadrants are not out of compliance with
the performance standard because the five-year period has not been reached. For the
SW and SE quadrants, the five-year period began on August 22, 2017 as required by City
Council Resolution No. 2017-170. For the NE quadrant, the FY 2017-18 report identified
the park acreage deficit due to increases in population, so the five-year period began on
June 30, 2018.
The planning for Veterans Memorial Park, a 93.7 acre park located approximately 350 feet
east of Cannon Road and Faraday Avenue, will address the referenced deficits in the NE,
SW and SE quadrants. On June 15, 2022, the Carlsbad Planning Commission approved a
Conditional Use Permit, Coastal, Development Permit, Hillside development permit, and
Habitat Management Plan permit to construct Veterans Memorial Park is a city-owned,
8 "Park District" = "quadrant". There are four park districts within the city, corresponding to the four quadrants.
9 The threshold for triggering the construction of a new park is as follows: Once a deficit of park acreage in a quadrant is
identified, a new park must be scheduled for construction within the time frame of five years. As adopted in City Council
resolutions, “[S]cheduled for construction” means that the improvements have been designed, a site has been selected, and a
financing plan for construction of the facility has been approved. (See Resolution 2017-170.) An identical definition was
adopted in the CFIP in September 1986, see page 14 and 32.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 30 of 690
undeveloped community park site located in the northwest quadrant. No administrative
appeal was filed, therefore the Veterans Park permit approvals from June 15, 2022 are
now final. Because of its size, centralized location, and citywide significance, the city
intends that this site help fulfill future citywide park needs. Thus, when the Citywide
Facilities and Improvements Plan (CFIP) was approved in 1986, Veterans Memorial Park
(then known as Macario Canyon) was apportioned equally to all four city quadrants to
meet the GMP parks performance standard. (See Resolution 8797, adopted September
23, 1986, Exhibit A at pp. 33–35 [allocating 25 acres from the Macario Canyon park to
each quadrant].)
Further, the City of Carlsbad Community Facilities District No. 1 (CFD) was established in
1991, creating a special tax lien on vacant properties throughout the city. The purpose of
the CFD was to finance the construction of specific public facilities of citywide obligation
and benefit, including Veterans Memorial Park. Consistent with the intent of the CFIP and
the CFD, the General Plan Open Space, Conservation and Recreation Element credits 22.9
acres of the 91.5-acre Veterans Memorial Park to each quadrant’s future park inventory
(see Table 4-7 of the Open Space, Conservation and Recreation Element). However,
during the recent preparation of the plans for entitlements, it was determined that the
Veterans Memorial Park total acreage is actually 93.7 acres, based on the final map on
file with the County Recorder of the County of San Diego. Therefore, 23.425 acres of this
park are to be applied to each quadrant.
The master planning process for that site commenced in December 2018, with the award
of a professional services agreement to RJM Design, and public outreach began in March
2019. The master plan is scheduled to be completed and approved before the conclusion
of either of the five-year periods referenced above. Specifically, the final mater plan for
the park is currently scheduled to be considered for adoption by the City Council on July
26, 2022.
Under Municipal Code section 21.90.130, subdivision (a)(1), compliance with the GMP
may be shown when “improvements related to the development project are provided or
funded.” On June 15, 2022, the Planning Commission approved various permits and a
Mitigated Negative Declaration under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”)
for Veterans Park. More than ten days have passed since these approvals, and no appeal
has been filed. Veteran’s Park is funded. (See February 23, 2021 City Council Staff Report
re: Veterans Memorial Park Master Plan Report [“Community Facilities District No. 1,
established in 1991, created a special tax lien on vacant properties throughout the city to
finance the construction of specifically identified public facilities of citywide obligation
and benefit, including Veterans Memorial Park. The funds from this district cannot be
used for facilities other than those specified at the time the district was formed. The City
Council has appropriated $1,837,200 for the Veterans Memorial Park Project, in Capital
Improvement Program Project No. 4609. That funding is sufficient to cover the three
phases of the project after master planning, which includes design development,
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 31 of 690
construction documents and public bidding. Additionally, $22,085,000 is budgeted for the
project in fiscal year 2025-26. “].)
C. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
Based on the current FY 2020-21 CIP list of projects, Veterans Memorial Park is proposed
to be constructed prior to buildout. Construction of this community park would result in
the projected park inventory for all city quadrants exceeding the projected required
acreage at buildout, as shown in Table 12:
TABLE 12
Quadrant Buildout
population10
Buildout required
acreage9
Current
inventory
Proposed park
acreage
Projected
inventory
NW 39,126 117.4 105.2 26.525 131.725
NE 22,741 68.2 45.3 23.425 68.725
SW 28,834 86.5 70.2 23.425 93.625
SE 42,548 127.6 114.9 23.425 138.325
Total 133,249 399.7 335.6 93.7 432.4
D. Additional Parks Acreage
The proposed park acreage numbers in Table 12 do not include park projects listed in the
CIP as “partially funded” or “unfunded”. Should alternative funding mechanisms be
found, and these parks are built, the additional parks acreage would further aid in
meeting/exceeding the growth management parks performance standard
• Partially funded – In the FY 2020-21 CIP, $12,592,000 has been transferred to the
Robertson Ranch Park project (NE – 11.2 acres), which changes its status to
“partially funded”. An additional $85,000 was appropriated in FY 2021-22 as an
inflationary measure. The master planning process for this park is scheduled to
begin in FY 2022-23.
• Unfunded – Zone 5 Business Park Recreational Facility (NW – 9.3 acres) and
Cannon Lake Park (NW – 6.8 acres).
10 Reflects the General Plan
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 32 of 690
DRAINAGE
A. Performance Standard
Drainage facilities must be provided as required by the city concurrent with development.
B. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
All areas of the city currently meet the growth management drainage performance
standard.
The standard for drainage distinguishes it from the other public facility standards
because, by its very nature, drainage facility needs are more accurately assessed as
specific development plans for individual projects are finalized. Therefore, the drainage
performance standard was written to allow the city to require appropriate drainage
facilities as development plans are finalized and approved.
The larger/master planned facilities have been identified in the city’s 2008 Drainage
Master Plan. The associated Planned Local Drainage Area (PLDA) fee program was
established to finance the construction of these facilities. The original Drainage Master
Plan was adopted in 1980 with the goal of assessing the performance of existing drainage
infrastructure, identifying anticipated improvements and developing a funding
mechanism to ensure construction of these planned facilities. The DMP is updated to
reflect changes in the general plan, city growth, construction costs, drainage standards
and environmental regulations. At the present, the Public Works Branch is updating the
2008 Drainage Master Plan to ensure these larger/master planned facilities will be
adequately funded.
The construction of smaller development/project related drainage facilities are addressed
during the review of individual project proposals. Maintenance, repair and replacement
projects are identified on an ongoing basis and are incorporated in the Capital
Improvement Program as a part of the Storm Drain Condition Assessment Program, the
Citywide Storm Drain Rehabilitation and Replacement Program, or as individual/stand-
alone projects.
Planning-level analyses performed as part of the 2008 Drainage Master Plan show that
the Agua Hedionda and Calavera Creek channels located east of El Camino Real within the
residential community of Rancho Carlsbad do not convey the 100-year flood event within
their channel banks. As a result, waters from a 100-year flood event have the potential
to encroach into the community. Projects located within LFMP Zones 5, 7, 14, 15, 16, 18
and 24 that drain to Agua Hedionda Creek or Calavera Creek must comply with the
following conditions to maintain compliance with the drainage performance standard:
1. Payment of the PLDA fee.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 33 of 690
2. Install onsite drainage improvements to ensure that direct drainage impacts
resulting from the proposed development do not exacerbate the potential for
downstream flooding of existing development.
C. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
The 2008 Carlsbad Drainage Master Plan proposes the construction of new facilities to
reduce the flooding risk from potential storm events. Construction of the proposed
Master Drainage Facilities will provide the backbone system to maintain the drainage
performance standard through buildout of the city. The current update to the Drainage
Master Plan will address funding availability for the construction of needed flood control
facilities. The estimated costs for these facilities and the programming of PLDA funds are
included in the annual Capital Improvement Program.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 34 of 690
CIRCULATION
A. Performance Standard
Implement a comprehensive livable streets network that serves all users of the system –
vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles and public transit. Maintain level of service (LOS) D or
better for all modes that are subject to this multi-modal level of service (MMLOS)
standard, as identified in Table 3-1 of the General Plan Mobility Element, excluding LOS
exempt intersections and streets approved by the City Council.
The service levels for each travel mode are represented as a letter “grade” ranging from
LOS A to LOS F: LOS A reflects a high level of service for a travel mode (e.g., outstanding
characteristics and experience for that mode) and LOS F would reflect an inadequate
level of service for a travel mode (e.g., excessive congestion for vehicles or inadequate
facilities for bicycle, pedestrian or transit users).
The performance standard for the circulation system is guided by the General Plan
Mobility Element as follows:
Implementing Policy 3-P.3: Apply and update the city’s multi-modal level of
service (MMLOS) methodology and guidelines that reflect the core values of the
Carlsbad Community Vision related to transportation and connectivity. Utilize the
MMLOS methodology to evaluate impacts of individual development projects and
amendments to the General Plan on the city’s transportation system.
Implementing Policy 3-P.4: Implement the city’s MMLOS methodology and
maintain LOS D or better for each mode of travel for which the MMLOS standard
is applicable, as identified in Table 3-1 and Figure 3-111.
Implementing Policy 3-P.9: Develop and maintain a list of street facilities where
specified modes of travel are exempt from the LOS standard {LOS exempt street
facilities), as approved by the City Council. For LOS exempt street facilities, the
city will not implement improvements to maintain the LOS standard outlined in
Policy 3-P.4 if such improvements are beyond what is identified as appropriate at
build out of the General Plan. In the case of street facilities where the vehicle
mode of travel is exempt from the LOS standard, other nonvehicle capacity-
building improvements will be required to improve mobility through
implementation of transportation demand and transportation system
management measures as outlined in Policy 3-P.11, to the extent feasible, and/or
to implement the livable streets goals and policies of this Mobility Element.
11 Table 3-1 and Figure 3-1 are found in the General Plan Mobility Element and are summarized in Table 13 of this
report.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 35 of 690
Evaluate the list of exempt street facilities, as part of the Growth Management
monitoring program, to determine if such exemptions are still warranted.
To exempt the vehicle mode of travel from the LOS standard at a particular street
intersection or segment, the intersection or street segment must be identified as
builtout by the City Council because:
a. acquiring the rights of way is not feasible; or
b. the proposed improvements would significantly impact the
environment in an unacceptable way and mitigation would not contribute
to the nine core values of the Carlsbad Community Vision; or
c. the proposed improvements would result in unacceptable impacts to
other community values or General Plan policies; or
d. the proposed improvements would require more than three through
travel lanes in each direction.
B. Livable Streets
The monitoring program for the circulation system is guided by General Plan Mobility
Element Goal 3-G.1:
Keep Carlsbad moving with livable streets that provide a safe, balanced, cost-
effective, multi-modal transportation system (vehicles, pedestrians, bikes,
transit), accommodating the mobility needs of all community members, including
children, the elderly and the disabled.
The California Complete Streets Act (AB 1358 [2008]) requires cities in California to plan
for a balanced, multi-modal transportation system that meets the needs of all travel
modes. Accomplishing this state mandate requires a fundamental shift in how the city
plans and designs the street system – recognizing the street as a public space that
serves all users of the system (elderly, children, bicyclists, pedestrians, etc.) within the
urban context of that system (e.g., account for the adjacent land uses).
• Prior to adoption of the General Plan Mobility Element on Sept. 22, 2015, the
growth management circulation performance standard was based on the circulation
needs of a single mode of travel – the automobile.
• The General Plan Mobility Element identifies a new livable streets strategy for
mobility within the city.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 36 of 690
• The livable streets strategy focuses on creating a ‘multi-modal’ street network that
supports the mobility needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and vehicles.
• Providing travel mode options that reduce dependence on the vehicle also supports
the city’s Climate Action Plan in achieving its goals of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions within the city.
C. Street Typology
The city’s approach to provide livable streets recognizes that improving the LOS for one mode
of transportation can sometimes degrade the LOS for another mode. For example, pedestrian-
friendly streets are designed to encourage pedestrian uses and typically have amenities that
slow vehicle travel speeds (e.g., short-distance pedestrian crossings that restrict vehicle
mobility). The “street typology” is defined in the General Plan Mobility Element and determines
which travel modes are subject to the MMLOS D standard, as summarized in Table 13. For
example, the vehicular mode of travel is subject to the MMLOS D standard on the following
street typologies: freeways, arterial streets, arterial connector streets and Industrial streets.
Table 13: Street Typology and MMLOS Standard
STREET TYPOLOLOGY Modes subject to the MMLOS D Standard
Vehicular Transit Pedestrian Bicycle
Freeways Yes Yes No No
Arterial Streets Yes Yes No No
Identity Streets No No Yes Yes
Village Streets No No Yes Yes
Arterial Connector Streets Yes No Yes Yes
Neighborhood Connector Streets No No Yes Yes
Coastal Streets No No Yes Yes
School Streets No No Yes Yes
Employment/Transit Connector Streets No Yes Yes Yes
Industrial Streets Yes Yes No No
Local/Neighborhood Streets No No Yes Yes
All Streets Located Within Half-Mile of a Transit Center No Yes Yes Yes
Bicycle/Pedestrian Pathways No No Yes Yes
D. Methods to Measure Service to Different Transportation Modes
a. How vehicular LOS is measured
The city monitors facilities that are subject to the vehicular LOS standard
according to that street’s typology as defined in Table 13. This section of the
report summarizes the vehicular LOS methodology used for monitoring
purposes. For the fiscal year (FY) 2020-21 monitoring report all the street
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 37 of 690
facilities required to meet the vehicular LOS standard were monitored including
the arterial, arterial connector, and industrial street typologies.
The city evaluates the roadway network at the “facility” level according to
Chapter 16 of the Highway Capacity Manual. A facility is defined as one direction
of travel along a length of road that has similar travel and geometric
characteristics, and it typically extends between and includes multiple signalized
intersections. Each facility has an associated capacity that is defined in the
Highway Capacity Manual as “the ability of a transportation facility or service to
meet the quantity of travel demanded of it.” For Growth Management Plan
monitoring purposes, travel demand on a roadway is measured by the volume of
vehicles using the facility during the peak hours of operation. A volume threshold
is established for each LOS grade according to the Highway Capacity Manual. The
vehicular LOS is determined by comparing the traffic volume against these
thresholds. For example, a LOS D is recorded when a traffic volume exceeds the
LOS C threshold but is below the LOS D threshold.
A street “facility” is comprised of smaller and contiguous “segments” that
typically extend between and include two adjacent signalized intersections. Per
the Highway Capacity Manual, an entire facility is reported as failing if the
volume along any one of its segments exceeds its capacity, which defines LOS F.
When a facility has been monitored and found to operate at LOS D, each
segment of that facility will be evaluated the following monitoring cycle and the
LOS will be reported as follows:
a. If the volume of any one segment of the facility exceeds the reported
capacity for that segment, the facility will be reported as LOS F; or
b. If none of the segment volumes exceeds its reported capacity for that
segment, the facility will be reported as LOS D (or the new level if it has
changed).
As noted above, travel demand is assumed to equal the traffic volume measured
during the peak hour of operation. Vehicular LOS is determined based on one
mid-block traffic count collected for each facility (or segment) being evaluated.
The data is collected while school is in session in either the spring or fall. The
morning and afternoon (a.m./p.m.) peak hours’ LOS is reported for each facility
or segment. Each street evaluated will have separate LOS results reported for
the a.m. and p.m. peak hour conditions with independent grades reported for
each direction of travel. This approach to data collection is consistent with
industry standards.
b. How Pedestrian, Bicycle and Transit Service MMLOS is measured
The General Plan Mobility Element calls for the use of a MMLOS methodology to
provide a metric for evaluating bicycle, pedestrian and transit modes of travel. In
2015, a method for evaluating bicycle and pedestrian LOS was first developed as
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 38 of 690
part of the General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR); this EIR method was
applied on a broad, program level to evaluate service to pedestrian, bicycle and
transit users. When consultants applied the original method during the
preparation of impact studies of proposed development projects, limitations
were discovered in terms of the study area, directional travel and potential
inconsistent interpretations of how the method should be applied.
Accordingly, a more robust method was started to be developed in 2018 to
calculate MMLOS for each mode and to identify a broader range of
improvements that could be implemented to ensure the minimum operating
standard would be met. As noted in General Plan Mobility Element Policy 3-P.3,
the purpose of the MMLOS methodology is to provide a means for evaluating
impacts of individual development projects, as well as monitoring the LOS for
individual streets to ensure that they are meeting the specified standard by
street type. Ultimately the MMLOS methodology was revised to accomplish
these goals and a spreadsheet-based MMLOS Tool was developed to provide an
easy-to-use way of calculating points for a specified location.
The MMLOS Tool generates a letter grade (A through F) to reflect the quality of
service provided to a user of that mode of travel. This grade is based on the
applicable attributes of the associated pedestrian, bicycle or transit mode.
Examples of the attributes used to develop the MMLOS grade for bicycle travel
include pavement condition, posted speed limit, on-street parking and buffered
bike lanes. Each attribute contributes to a point system that corresponds to a
MMLOS letter grade, when the total points for all attributes are added together.
A LOS D score indicates that the existing attributes provide the minimum
acceptable service for that mode. The MMLOS grades are determined using field
data related to each attribute used in the scoring criteria.
In FY 2020-21, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit travel modes were monitored but
will be presented separately as the methodology for MMLOS was being updated
in collaboration with the Traffic & Mobility Commission ad-hoc committee at the
time of writing this report. The results of the MMLOS will be presented in a
separate document after the methodology updates are finalized through the
process of working with the Traffic and Mobility Commission.
As previously discussed in the FY 19-20 Staff Report on GMP Monitoring, when
the City Council amended its circulation performance standard to include
consideration of non-vehicular modes of transportation, the city did not intend
to apply the standard retroactively, i.e., in the absence of new development.
Rather, the intent was to require implementation “concurrent” with new
development, as contemplated under CMC Section 21.90.045. The City did not
intend to initiate a city-wide public works project to fix existing non-vehicular
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 39 of 690
deficiencies or to halt all development until every pedestrian path and bike
facility met the city’s new MMLOS standards.
Similar approaches were utilized for the city’s other Citywide Facilities and
Improvements Plan performance standards. For example, the city’s 1986
facilities improvements plan explained, “The preceding map highlights those
areas of the city which will be required to comply with the open space
performance standard. The other areas of the city are already developed.” (See
also Friends of H Street v. City of Sacramento (1993) 20 Cal. App. 4th 152,
General Plan requirements addressed future growth and did not require local
governments to bring existing neighborhoods and streets into compliance with
the updated general plan standards.)
E. Exemptions to the LOS D Standard
General Plan Mobility Element Policy 3-P.9 requires the city to develop and maintain
a list of street facilities where specified modes of travel are exempt from the LOS
standard (LOS-exempt street facilities), as approved by the City Council.
Regarding vehicular LOS standards, the City Council has the authority to exempt a
street facility from the vehicular LOS standard if the street facility meets one or
more of the following criteria from General Plan Mobility Element Policy 3-P.9:
a) Acquiring the rights of way is not feasible; or
b) The proposed improvements would significantly impact the environment in an
unacceptable way and mitigation would not contribute to the nine core values of
the Carlsbad Community Vision; or
c) The proposed improvements would result in unacceptable impacts to other
community values or General Plan policies; or
d) The proposed improvements would require more than three through travel
lanes in each direction.
General Plan Mobility Element Policy 3-P.11 requires new development that adds
vehicular traffic to street facilities that are exempt from the vehicle LOS D standard
to implement:
• Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies that reduce the reliance
on single-occupant automobiles and assist in achieving the city’s livable streets
vision; and
• Transportation System Management (TSM) strategies that improve traffic signal
coordination and improve transit service.
Each of the previously exempt street facilities were monitored this cycle and evaluated
against the vehicular LOS standard. The results of this evaluation are summarized in
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 40 of 690
Table 14 below. No changes have occurred since the adoption of these resolutions that
would warrant lifting exemptions for these street facilities.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 41 of 690
Table 14: Vehicle LOS Exempt Street Facilities
Street Facility From To LOS
(AM/PM)
Meets LOS
Standard?
Date of
Exemption
1. La Costa Avenue Interstate-5 El Camino Real B/B Yes
Exempted
with
Adoption of
the General
Plan
Mobility
Element on
Sept. 22,
2015
2. La Costa Avenue El Camino Real Interstate-5 C/C Yes
3. El Camino Real Palomar Airport Road Camino Vida Roble D/D Yes
4. El Camino Real Camino Vida Roble Poinsettia Lane B/C Yes
5. El Camino Real Poinsettia Lane Aviara Parkway/Alga
Road
C/C Yes
6. El Camino Real Aviara Parkway/Alga
Road
La Costa Avenue F/F No
7. El Camino Real La Costa Avenue Aviara Parkway/Alga
Road
C/C Yes
8. El Camino Real Aviara Parkway/Alga
Road
Poinsettia Lane C/C Yes
9. El Camino Real Poinsettia Lane Camino Vida Roble C/C Yes
10. El Camino Real Camino Vida Roble Palomar Airport Road D/D Yes
11. Palomar Airport Road Avenida Encinas Paseo del Norte F/F No**
12. Palomar Airport Road Paseo del Norte Armada Drive D/C Yes
13. Palomar Airport Road Armada Drive College
Boulevard/Aviara
Parkway
C/C Yes
14. Palomar Airport Road College
Boulevard/Aviara
Parkway
Armada Drive C/C Yes
15. Palomar Airport Road Armada Drive Paseo del Norte C/D Yes
16. Palomar Airport Road Paseo del Norte Avenida Encinas F/F No**
17. Palomar Airport Road El Camino Real El Fuerte Street B/C Yes
18. Palomar Airport Road El Fuerte Street Melrose Drive C/C Yes
19. Palomar Airport Road Melrose Drive El Fuerte Street C/C Yes
20. Palomar Airport Road El Fuerte Street El Camino Real C/C Yes
21. El Camino Real Oceanside city limits Marron Road F/E No Dec. 17,
2019 22. El Camino Real Marron Road Oceanside city limits E/E No
23. Melrose Drive Vista city limits Palomar Airport Road F/E No
24. El Camino Real Cannon Road College Boulevard B/B Yes
Jun. 9, 2020 25. El Camino Real College Boulevard Cannon Road C/C Yes
26. Cannon Road El Camino Real College Boulevard D/D Yes
27. Cannon Road College Boulevard El Camino Real E/D No
28. El Camino Real Tamarack Avenue Cannon Road C/C Yes Nov. 3, 2020
29. College Boulevard Carlsbad Village Drive Oceanside City Limits C/D Yes Jan. 12,
2021* 30. Cannon Road Avenida Encinas Paseo del Norte D/E No
31. Cannon Road Paseo del Norte Avenida Encinas D/E No
*On January 12, 2021 City Council also exempted the remaining facility of Palomar Airport Road between Avenida Encinas to Paseo del Norte.
** On Dec. 17, 2019, City Council determined four street facilities to be operating at deficient levels of service. One of these deficient street
facilities is southbound College Boulevard from Aston Avenue to Palomar Airport Road, and City Council expedited a Capital Improvement
Program (CIP) project to fully address this deficiency by adding a southbound right turn lane and converting the existing right turn lane into a
second southbound through lane on College Boulevard at the intersection of Palomar Airport Road (CIP Project No. 6028).
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 42 of 690
F. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
The following vehicular LOS and MMLOS results are based on the data reported in
the City of Carlsbad Roadway Level of Service Analysis Report (April 2022).
1. Vehicular LOS
The vehicular LOS grades reflect traffic data gathered in September, October,
and November of 2021. The traffic data represents typical weekday traffic
conditions. Counts were collected at each midblock location for three
consecutive weekdays. For each roadway segment, the highest one-hour AM
and one-hour PM volume of the three days were determined for each direction
of travel. The volumes were collected after local COVID-19 stay at home
restrictions had been lifted and in person learning had resumed for the Carlsbad
Unified School District.
Overall, there is a noticeable increase in traffic volumes for most Arterial
facilities compared to the previous study year. Unlike the volumes collected in
2020, this study period experienced peak volumes exceeding 2,000 directional
peak hour volumes for several arterial roadways including El Camino Real,
Rancho Santa Fe, and Palomar Airport Road.
The LOS results for the vehicular mode are illustrated in Figure 4. All the
deficient roadway facilities identified above were previously determined by City
Council to be deficient and exempt per General Plan Mobility Policy 3-P.10
except for the eastbound and westbound segment of Aviara Parkway between
Manzanita Street and El Camino Real which operates at a deficient LOS F during
both the AM and PM peak hours. The affected Local Facility Management Zone
(LFMZ) for this segment is zone 6.
Table 15 lists the street facilities which were previously reported as LOS D in the
FY 2019-20 monitoring report. The facilities were further studied at the segment
level as part of the FY 2020-21 report to determine the operating LOS of the
facility at the segment level. The results of this analysis show that all of these
facilities will still meet the LOS D standard except for the following segments
which were previously determined by City Council to be deficient and exempt:
• Southbound Melrose Drive between the city limits and Palomar Airport
Road
• Eastbound Cannon Road between Avenida Encinas and Paseo Del Norte
• Eastbound Cannon Road between El Camino Real and College Boulevard
Additionally, a new segment along Aviara Parkway (east and westbound)
between Manzanita Street and El Camino Real do not meet the vehicular LOS D
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 43 of 690
performance standard. City Council considered exemptions under General Plan
Policy 3-P.9 concurrent with consideration of this monitoring report.
Figure 4: Vehicular Level of Service (LOS) Results
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 44 of 690
Table 15: Roadway Facilities that were LOS D in the Previous Reporting Year
July 12, 2022Item #15 Page 45 of 690
G. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
The 2015 General Plan EIR evaluated how buildout of the land uses planned by the General
Plan will impact the vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle and transit levels of service, and identified
that additional circulation facilities may need to be constructed to meet the GMP
performance standard at buildout. The following summary provides the results of that
evaluation:
Vehicular Level of Service at Buildout
• Additional future road segments (extensions of College Boulevard, Poinsettia Lane and
Camino Junipero) needed to accommodate the city’s future growth were identified as
part of the General Plan update. The General Plan Mobility Element identifies these
needed future road segments as “Planned City of Carlsbad Street Capacity
Improvements.”
• The General Plan also called out the need to implement the scheduled Interstate-5
North Coast Project and Interstate-5/Interstate-78 Interchange Improvement Project
that are needed to accommodate future growth.
• The CIP funds projects that will upgrade the LOS including several roadway widenings
along El Camino Real near College Boulevard (northbound), La Costa Avenue
(southbound) and Cassia Road (northbound). There is also a CIP project currently in the
design phase to add a second southbound through lane and dedicated right turn lane on
southbound College Boulevard (southbound) from Aston Avenue to Palomar Airport
Road.
• The General Plan EIR identifies TDM and TSM as mitigation measures for roadway
sections that have been determined to be LOS-exempt.
H. Next Steps
Staff will continue to work with our consultant and the Traffic & Mobility Commission ad-
hoc committee to finalize the update and revise the pedestrian, bicycle and transit MMLOS
methodologies. After the ad-hoc committee review, staff will update the MMLOS
methodologies, apply the revised MMLOS Tool on the street typologies for the FY 2020-21
GMP Monitoring Report, and then return to the Traffic & Mobility Commission to present
the updated MMLOS monitoring results.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 46 of 690
FIRE
A. Performance Standard
No more than 1,500 dwelling units outside of a five-minute response time.
B. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
The city’s fire facilities are in compliance with the Growth Management performance
standard. There are no more than 1,500 dwelling units outside of a five-minute response
distance from any of the city’s six fire stations.
The intent of the growth management standard, as applied to fire facilities, is to establish the
distribution of station locations, based upon response distances. At the time the Growth
Management Plan was developed, scientific fire behavior information and recognized best
practices supported the position that a response time of five minutes would result in effective
fire incident intervention. The Growth Management Plan provides no other trigger
mechanism for the installation of additional fire stations, it states that up to 1,500 dwelling
units could exist outside the five-minute reach of the closest fire station for an indeterminate
length of time without violating the growth management standard. The five-minute response
distance measure was selected exclusively as a means of geographically positioning fire
stations throughout the city. Therefore, the standard is applied as a means of measuring
compliance with locating fire facilities in accordance with the Growth Management Plan, not
the performance of the Fire Department in meeting service responsibilities.
C. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
At buildout, the established threshold of more than 1,500 units that exist outside of a five
minute response distance will not be exceeded for any of the fire stations.
To determine if fire facilities comply with the Growth Management Plan at buildout, the
city’s Geographic Information System Department (GIS) created a map based upon the
following information:
• Existing fire station locations
• Anticipated future development
• 2.5-mile road distance from each of the six fire stations (five minute response time
equates to road driving distance of 2.5 miles);
• All planned, major roadway arterials; and
• The number of dwelling units projected at buildout that will be located outside of
the 2.5-mile road (5 minute) distance from each fire station.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 47 of 690
The GIS map, based upon the above-noted assumptions, revealed the following findings as
shown in Table 16:
TABLE 16
Fire Station Number Total number of dwelling units outside of five minutes
1,3 & 4 (aggregated) 1,227
2 902
5 392
6 1,185
As noted above, the GIS map analysis revealed that at build out, the city’s existing and
planned fire facilities will meet the growth management performance standard (i.e. the total
number of dwelling units that will exist outside of a five-minute response distance from the
nearest fire station will not exceed the threshold of 1,500 units).
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 48 of 690
OPEN SPACE
A. Performance Standard
Fifteen percent of the total land area in the Local Facility Management Zone (LFMZ) exclusive
of environmentally constrained non-developable land must be set aside for permanent open
space and must be available concurrent with development.
B. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
To date, adequate open space has been provided to meet the performance standard.
Open space to meet the performance standard is provided concurrent with approval of
development projects. The location of performance standard open space must be indicated
during project-specific analysis. It must be in addition to any constrained areas, such as
protected wildlife habitat or slopes greater than 40%. At the time the Citywide Facilities and
Improvements Plan was adopted (1986), the LFMZ’s were divided into: a) those that were
considered already developed or in compliance with the growth management open space
performance standard, and b) those that still needed to comply with the standard.
a) In 1986 at the time of the CFIP adoption, LFMZs 1 through 10, and 16 were considered
to be already developed or in compliance with the open space performance
standard12.
In addition, Ordinance No. 9808 provided exemptions from the Growth Management
Plan and all of the performance standards for a number of projects that were
approved and/or in process at that time. These projects are also listed in a memo to
the City Manager on June 10, 1986.
In the case of LFMZ 9, the boundaries of the remaining developable land in the zone
coincided with the project boundaries of the Batiquitos Lagoon Educational Park
Master Plan (MP 175, approved 10-22-1985), which was exempted from growth
management by Section 21.90.030(g) of Ordinance No. 9808 if certain restrictions
were met, including a dedication of open space13. In anticipation of future
construction, the developer of MP 175 dedicated the necessary open space
properties, completing that portion of the requirement for 21.90.030(g)14. Although
MP 175 ultimately was never constructed, these open space dedications were
12 City Council Resolution No. 8797
13 The restriction for open space required that “Prior to approval of the final map for Phase I the master plan developer
shall have agreed to participate in the restoration of a significant lagoon and wetland resource area and made any
dedications of property necessary to accomplish the restoration”. 14 City Council Resolution No. 8666 contained an agreement between the city and the developer for the open space
property dedications noted above.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 49 of 690
maintained and became part of the open space for the project that followed, the
Poinsettia Shores Master Plan (MP 175(D), approved 01-18-94), and are the basis for
how MP 175(D) and LFMZ 9 complied with the growth management open space
performance standard15.
b) The remaining LFMZs were required to comply with the performance standard.
Subsequent to the adoption of the CFIP, development projects in LFMZs 11-15, 17-21,
and 23-25 have been conditioned to provided adequate open space to meet the
performance standard concurrent with development.
C. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
As discussed above, all LFMZs, except for Zone 22, have met the growth management open
space performance standard. Future projects in LFMZ 22 must continue to provide open
space in compliance with the performance standard.
15 Poinsettia Shores Master Plan, pages 4 and 22. The master plan states “the Growth Management Open Space
standard is already met for Zone 9 through the earlier preservation of the sensitive bluffs and slopes”.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 50 of 690
SCHOOLS
A. Performance Standard
School capacity to meet projected enrollment within the Local Facility Management Zone
(LFMZ) as determined by the appropriate school district must be provided prior to projected
occupancy.
B. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
Currently, school capacity is in compliance with the growth management school performance
standard (see below). The city is served by four school districts as listed below:
1. Carlsbad Unified School District (CUSD)
According to both the district’s Long Range Facility Master Plan (approved Jan. 17, 2018)
and CUSD staff, the district can accommodate both the current enrollment levels and
expected future growth. The master plan indicates that the district has plans for
accommodating projected student enrollment levels through the next 15-20 years, which
includes proposals for renovating and replacing a variety of school facilities.
2. San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD)
SMUSD staff indicated that the schools serving Carlsbad are currently at maximum
capacity, but that will-serve letters are still being issued by SMUSD for proposed
developments in the part of Carlsbad that is served by SMUSD schools, and that the
schools serving Carlsbad could accommodate the expected future growth within this area.
3. Encinitas Union Elementary School District
According to student enrollment and school capacity information provided by the school
district, sufficient student capacity exists for the 2020-21 school year for schools serving
Carlsbad.
4. San Dieguito Union High School District
According to student enrollment and school capacity information provided by the school
district, sufficient student capacity exists for the 2020-21 school year for schools serving
Carlsbad.
C. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
Based on Chapter 3.11 of the 2015 General Plan EIR, for all school districts at all grade levels,
capacity is expected to be sufficient for the buildout student population with no need for
additional schools.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 51 of 690
SEWER COLLECTION SERVICES
A. Performance Standard
Trunk-line capacity to meet demand, as determined by the appropriate sewer districts, must
be provided concurrent with development.
B. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
Sewer improvements are provided on a project-by-project basis concurrent with
development. Currently, the City of Carlsbad’s sewer service area pipelines comply with the
growth management performance standard. The sewer agencies that provide sewer
collection systems within the city include: Carlsbad, Leucadia Wastewater District and
Vallecitos Water District. Each agency indicates that they currently have adequate
conveyance capacity in place to meet Carlsbad’s sewer collection demands.
The City of Carlsbad is served by the following six major interceptor systems, as shown in
Table 17 below:
TABLE 17
16 Million gallons per day (MGD)
17 Buena Sanitation District and the City of Carlsbad are negotiating the transfer of this facility to the City of Carlsbad
upon City of Vista’s completion of their Buena Outfall Force Main, Phase III project.
18 The downstream sections (NB8 and NB9) of the North Batiquitos Sewer, often referred to as Ponto Sewer
and originally termed the Occidental Sewer
Interceptor System Sewer Districts Served Carlsbad Capacity Rights16
Vista/Carlsbad Interceptor City of Carlsbad & City of Vista
Ranges from
1.0 MGD up to 41.8 MGD (3.3%
to 50%)
Buena Interceptor17 City of Carlsbad & Buena
Sanitation District
Ranges from
1.2 MGD up to 3.6 MGD (18% to
35%)
Vallecitos Interceptor
City of Carlsbad, Buena
Sanitation District & Vallecitos
Water District
5 MGD
Occidental Sewer18 City of Carlsbad, City of Encinitas
& Leucadia Waste Water District 8.5 MGD (40%)
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 52 of 690
For both the Vista/Carlsbad Interceptor and the Buena Interceptor, Carlsbad’s capacity rights
increase in the downstream direction as they flow to the Encina Water Pollution Control
Facility. Capacity rights increase from 3.3% to 50% for the Vista/Carlsbad Interceptor and
from 18% to 35% in the Buena Interceptor.
C. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
The City of Carlsbad 2019 Sewer Master Plan Update evaluated the sewer infrastructure
needs of the Carlsbad sewer service area and identified facilities required to accommodate
future sewer flows at buildout. The master plan identified the Vista/Carlsbad Interceptor and
Buena Interceptor as requiring improvements to accommodate build-out demand (see
below). Sewer trunk main adequacy is estimated by comparing wastewater flow projections
to the capacity of the sewer system using a computer model. Annual sewer flow
measurements are used to assess actual flows and to evaluate capacity in the sewers.
Collection system improvements to meet buildout conditions are identified at three
locations: Faraday Avenue, Poinsettia Avenue and Kelly Drive. These projects are
programmed in the CIP.
The adequacy of major sewer facilities for buildout conditions is summarized as follows:
Vista/Carlsbad Interceptor: The City’s 2019 Sewer Master Plan Update indicates that
portions of the V/C Interceptor do not satisfy buildout system flows. Hydraulic model results
indicate that the 36-inch diameter gravity mains of Reach VC-3 are insufficient to convey
buildout flows. Most of reach VC-3 consists of 36-inch diameter gravity main and is scheduled
for upsizing to 42 inches as a future CIP project to meet buildout flows.
Buena Interceptor: The Buena Interceptor is currently shared by Vista and Carlsbad and,
although the city’s wastewater flows are not projected to exceed its capacity rights, the
combined flows of Buena Sanitation District and City of Carlsbad during peak wet weather
periods exceed the design capacity criterion. As a result, Buena Sanitation District has
constructed a parallel trunk sewer which will allow flow from Buena Sanitation District to be
diverted to the parallel trunk sewer. Construction was completed in 2021, however Buena
Sanitation District has not yet regularly diverted flow to this sewer. When they do, the City of
Carlsbad will be the only agency with flows remaining in the existing Buena Interceptor and
peak wet weather flow at buildout conditions would reach 7.3 mgd or approximately 69
percent of pipe capacity.
North Agua Hedionda
Interceptor City of Carlsbad 6 MGD (100%)
South Agua Hedionda
Interceptor City of Carlsbad 4.7 MGD (100%)
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 53 of 690
WATER DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
A. Performance Standard
Line capacity to meet demand as determined by the appropriate water district must be
provided concurrent with development. A minimum of 10-day average storage capacity must
be provided prior to any development.
B. FY 2020-21 Facility Adequacy Analysis
Carlsbad’s water distribution is provided by three agencies including the Carlsbad Municipal
Water District (CMWD), which is a subsidiary district of the City of Carlsbad, serving 32.32
square miles (82.7 percent of the city), Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD) serving
5.28 square miles (13.5 percent of the city), and Vallecitos Water District (VWD) serving 1.48
square miles (3.8 percent of the city). These districts indicate that they have adequate
capacity to meet the growth management performance standard.
Water service demand requirements are estimated using a computer model to simulate two
water distribution scenarios: 1) maximum day demand plus a fire event; 2) peak hour
demand. This computer model was calibrated using actual flow measurements collected in
the field to verify it sufficiently represents the actual water system.
Existing (2014 baseline year) and buildout (2040) daily demand and storage requirements for
CMWD from the CMWD 2019 Potable Water Master Plan are shown in Table 18 below:
TABLE 18
Water Demand Flow Rate 19
Existing Maximum Day Demand 24.1 MGD
Buildout Maximum Day Demand 29.6 MGD
Water Storage Volume20
Existing Storage Requirement 35.4 MG
Existing Storage Capacity 47.5 MG (excluding Maerkle Dam storage)
Based on the water model analysis prepared for the CMWD 2019 Potable Water Master Plan,
future pipelines and water system facilities were identified to ensure water system
improvements are constructed to accommodate future customers. In addition, funds for the
construction of future facilities are included in the Capital Improvement Program. Therefore,
the future water infrastructure is programmed to be in place at the time of need to ensure
compliance with the performance standard.
19 Million gallons per day (MGD)
20 Million gallons (MG)
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 54 of 690
Within the CMWD service area the existing average daily potable water demand for the
previous five years is shown in Table 19 below:
TABLE 19
Fiscal Year MGD
2016-17 12.1
2017-18 13.4
2018-19 12.421
2019-20 11.9
2020-21 12.8
Water conservation by CMWD customers has resulted in an overall reduction in per capita
consumption. Factors leading to this reduction include (1) an expansion of CMWD’s recycled
water system beginning in 2008, (2) in 2009, a campaign was initiated to reduce customer
consumption by the wholesale water agencies, (3) implementation of a new tiered water rate
structure to encourage water conservation, and (4) voluntary and mandatory conservation
measures in 2015 in response to drought conditions.
The 10-day storage requirement is a city growth management performance standard and a
planning criterion to accommodate pipeline maintenance recommended by the San Diego
County Water Authority. To meet the requirement, CMWD needs 131 MG of storage capacity
based on the average water demand identified in the 2019 Potable Water Master Plan and
187 MG for buildout conditions. CMWD has a total storage capacity of 242.5 MG which
consists of 195 MG of storage capacity at Maerkle Dam and 47.5 MG of storage capacity in
various storage tanks throughout the distribution system.
CMWD also has interagency agreements with OMWD, VWD and Oceanside to provide
additional supply if needed. In 2004, the OMWD completed construction of a water
treatment facility at the San Diego County Water Authority Emergency Storage Reservoir,
which provides the storage necessary to meet the 10-day storage criterion for OMWD.
VWD’s average day demand is 13.3 MGD with an existing storage capacity of 120.5 MG.
Through interagency sharing arrangements, VWD can obtain additional water supplies to
meet a 10-day restriction on imported water supply.
C. Buildout Facility Adequacy Analysis
As proposed land development projects are reviewed by the city, the Water Master Plans
from CMWD, OMWD, and VWD are consulted to check pipeline sizes and facility capacities
to verify adequacy to support the water needs of the project and city. To comply with water
21 Corrected demand for 2018-19 based on potable water sales data.
July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 55 of 690
master plan requirements, land development projects may be required to construct a master
plan water project concurrent with construction of the development project.
The CMWD 2019 Potable Water Master Plan identifies facilities necessary to meet water
demands for buildout within its service area. These consist of new pipelines and pipeline
rehabilitation projects that are programmed into the CIP, some of which may be constructed
concurrently with new development projects in the northeastern portion of the city.
The 2019 Potable Water Master Plan identified that no additional storage is required to meet
the future storage requirements, due in part to conservation measures and expansion of
CMWD’s recycled water system.
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July 12, 2022 Item #15 Page 56 of 690