Environmental report to examine proposed Encinitas subdivision

North County Times – Escondido,CA,USA
ENCINITAS — Although the city hasn’t asked for one yet,
developers on Urania Avenue are preparing an environmental study to examine
the consequences of a 23 …

ENCINITAS — Although the city hasn’t asked for one yet, developers on Urania Avenue are preparing an environmental study to examine the consequences of a 23-home subdivision, a city official said Monday.

Scott Vurbeff, the city’s environmental coordinator, said it’s unusual for developers to commission an environmental study without a directive from the city.

“They felt it would expedite the environmental review process,” he said.

Brian and Helga Fritz are proposing to subdivide a 9.16-acre nursery into 23 lots for single-family homes in the neighborhood east of Interstate 5 and north of Leucadia Boulevard. Plans for the houses themselves have not been submitted.

For decades, Chino Greenhouses have operated on the property.

The proposal has some neighbors concerned. Greenhouses once symbolized Encinitas’ self-proclaimed position as the “flower capital of the world,” but sky-high land values have driven many growers to sell their land for housing.

On Urania and surrounding streets, most of the homes are decades old and occupy large lots with tall trees. Sidewalks and streetlights are scarce and residents seem to like it that way.

“Greenhouses are great neighbors,” said Greg Snortom, a mechanic and 25-year resident of Normandy Road. “They’re quiet. They’re simple. The people in them are nice and they really add to the flavor of the area.”

The neighborhood group Citizens for Rural Leucadia formed specifically to keep track of the Fritz’s proposal, and now is watching other potential developments nearby, say members of the loosely knit organization.

Last week, a city notice reported that an environmental analysis of the Fritz property would examine the proposal’s visual impacts on the neighborhood and assess possible harm to air, soil and water quality. The reports require traffic studies.

It is not known why the property owners have commissioned the report. A telephone message left for Brian Fritz was not returned on Monday. His real estate consultant, Doug Harwood, replied to a reporter’s e-mail inquiry, but wrote that he was traveling and would not be able to respond to questions in time to meet a deadline.

James Boeker of Pasco Engineering Inc., who is listed on city documents as project manager, declined Monday to be interviewed.

Some members of the neighborhood group Monday said they were most concerned that the proposed subdivision would squeeze too many homes onto the site.

The property’s zoning allows for two dwellings to the acre, but under a state “density bonus” law, which trumps local zoning, the developers have applied for 3.21- to 3.23-home-to-the-acre zoning. To comply with the state law, three of the homes would be set aside for low-income families.

One neighbor, Dr. Gerald Haas, said traffic on Urania already is a problem, especially during the morning and afternoon bell times at nearby Capri School.

If more greenhouses fall — and more “density bonuses” are secured — Leucadia “is going to feel and look and be different from what it is,” he said. “The reason why a lot of us live here is to have a little remnant of that rural feel. It’s slowly disappearing.”