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Residents urge changes to proposed Santa Fe Drive project, cite emergency access and traffic concerns
Summary
Residents and public commenters urged the council and staff to require a new traffic study and to reconsider a 51-unit proposal on Santa Fe Drive that they say will worsen traffic and could block emergency access; speakers suggested alternatives including a community pool.
Several residents addressing the Encinitas City Council urged officials to require more traffic analysis and rethink a proposed 51-unit development on Santa Fe Drive, arguing that the current plan threatens emergency access and neighborhood safety.
A public commenter said the developer has requested multiple waivers and that required changes to meet accessibility standards would force tree removal and relocation of a recently installed bus stop. The speaker told council that the traffic report tied to the project was prepared before changes to Santa Fe Drive and is therefore outdated: "That traffic report is pretty much null and void. It needs to be redone," the resident said.
Another commenter, describing an incident on June 9 when an emergency vehicle was stuck in traffic for roughly 30 seconds and had to rely on other drivers to move, said, "This is so dangerous. We have to fix Santa Fe Drive. It's got to be opened up so cars, emergency vehicles can get through."
A resident also proposed repurposing the 51-unit site for a public swimming pool and community amenities instead of housing, saying such a facility could serve schools and recreation programs; the speaker acknowledged the cost would be high and presented it as a community suggestion.
Speakers asked that council pause action until a new traffic report reflecting recent changes to Santa Fe Drive is completed and suggested the council consider alternatives to the current project footprint. The council did not take a final vote on the development during the meeting; the item was discussed during public comment ahead of its planning review.
