Council requires stop signs, construction parking limits and temporary controls near Clark Apartments project

Encinitas City Council approved a package of traffic controls and construction‑phase restrictions Oct. 22 intended to reduce safety problems and neighborhood impacts from a multi‑unit housing project on Clark Avenue.

Background: Residents and a neighborhood representative raised repeated complaints about construction vehicle staging, trucks blocking a narrow private street and narrower-than‑expected access widths that may not meet fire response clearances. Speakers asked the council to require clear contractor oversight, reduce construction staging in the neighborhood and add a formal signoff by a qualified professional before continuing heavy work.

Council action: Councilmember O’Hara moved to adopt staff recommendations with additions; council voted unanimously to approve the motion. The package directs staff to:

- Require a permanent fourth stop sign at the intersection when development is complete if the stop sign is not already a condition of approval;
- Install a temporary sawhorse/reflector stop sign at the exit from the development during the construction phase; and
- Direct the traffic engineer to place no‑parking restrictions on the west side of Clark Avenue north of the intersection during construction (council suggested about 40 feet as a target but gave traffic staff discretion to set the exact length and monitor for spillover to the south side if necessary).

Council also asked staff to confirm who signs off on final safety (the permitting engineer or a registered civil/fire engineer), to enforce contractor parking within the project limits and to coordinate sheriff enforcement of daylighting rules (20‑foot no‑parking near intersections) during active site work.

Resident requests and staff response: Resident Cynthia Shea Palmer told the council the neighborhood had seen long trucks, double‑trailers and contractors parking on a corner that blocks sight lines and poses hazards for schoolchildren and neighbors. Traffic staff said the intersection is not yet a permanent public roadway connection and that the stop sign installation can be required by condition of project completion or added by permit before building occupancy. Staff agreed to confirm construction permit parking restrictions and to coordinate compliance monitoring and enforcement with development services.

Next steps: City staff will implement the temporary stop sign and no‑parking construction controls immediately; if the permanent stop sign is not a condition of approval it will be added before the road is accepted as a public intersection. The traffic engineer will report back to council or to affected residents if changes are needed during construction.