Letter to the Editor, Encinitas Advocate, 7/2/2014
With less than a month to go before the contract the city signed to purchase the three acre site in a residential area of downtown is final, voters
still have the time to force the city council to evaluate what we will
ultimately get if this ten million dollar impulse purchase goes
through. It most certainly will NOT be what the promoters describe as
an "Arts Center," which includes among the many descriptions, work shops, schools, galleries and most universally, a major performance space.
The contract includes a contingency clause for renegotiation or cancellation if investigation during this period shows it is not suitable for such use, but this means actually deciding first what we are specifically planning to do with it, something that city officials refuse to do out of fear that the results will show this property to be useless for what has been promoted. Not only is the Pacific View site inconsistent with general city planning principles, it flies in the face of the growing "smart growth" movement. It also probably is not permitted by law! Coastal Commission regulations severely limit what can be built there, a reality that city hall chooses to ignore.
The contract includes a contingency clause for renegotiation or cancellation if investigation during this period shows it is not suitable for such use, but this means actually deciding first what we are specifically planning to do with it, something that city officials refuse to do out of fear that the results will show this property to be useless for what has been promoted. Not only is the Pacific View site inconsistent with general city planning principles, it flies in the face of the growing "smart growth" movement. It also probably is not permitted by law! Coastal Commission regulations severely limit what can be built there, a reality that city hall chooses to ignore.
There is another parcel, one three miles inland at Encinitas RanchTown Center at Lucadia and El Camino Real that not only is zoned for such an arts center, but that the city already owns;
so rather than leaving us with no funds for construction we can design and
soon break ground for an actual arts center. This parcel, dedicated
to the city for such use,
sits in a mega shopping center where it would certainly
seem to be out of place. This is the very reason that we should develop it
for this purpose. It would provide a new character to the chain store
dominated center, enhancing the entire north eastern part of Encinitas while promoting its participation in the city's arts community.
City elected officals
seems intent on running out the clock, as they can reap the praise for
the illusory arts center -- and be long gone when the mistake is
realized. The time for taxpayers to prevent this from happening is growing short.
Al Rodbell
see FocusOnEncinitas.blogspot.com for video and article of the proposed site
