Residents press for Hub Park trails; council adds $75,000 one‑time for trails maintenance, staff warns PUC approval could take years

Dozens of residents urged the City Council to expedite construction of the long‑planned Hub Park trails and broader trail connectivity across Carlsbad, and the council voted to add a one‑time $75,000 appropriation for trails maintenance while staff cautioned that formal approvals from the California Public Utilities Commission could delay major work for years.

Vicky Saige, Diane Weimer of Citizens for North County, Diane Nygaard of Preserve Calavera and others told council the Hub Park trail network has been planned for decades and urged the city to be “shovel ready” when funding and easements are obtained. Saige said the Hub Park trail plan uses alignments from a prior Measure A submission and called on council to take budgetary steps so the city can move quickly when permits and funds are available.

Gary Barberio, deputy city manager for Community Services, told council the challenge is legal and logistical: the Hub Park lease is on land owned by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and the utility is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Barberio said SDG&E’s Seaside Option agreement with the city would grant trail easements and a $1,000,000 contribution toward design and construction, but that obtaining PUC approval for the land transactions and easements is “a unique and complicated agreement” that staff estimates could take three to five years to process. He warned that initiating large‑scale design and construction work before PUC approval could expose the city to the risk of investing municipal funds that later could not be matched by SDG&E contributions.

Kyle Lancaster, director of Parks and Recreation, said the city has an existing CIP project for the South Shore Agua Hedionda Lagoon Trail (Hub Park). He said approximately $790,000 has been appropriated to date, about $230,000 of which has been spent on preliminary design and environmental scoping, leaving roughly $560,000 available for further design. Lancaster said additional funding would be needed to complete environmental review, final design and construction and that some required permits (including California Coastal Commission review) are outside city control.

Council debated whether to front additional funds before PUC approval. After discussion, Mayor Blackburn moved and council approved a one‑time $75,000 allocation to Parks and Recreation for trails maintenance and related readiness work; the motion passed unanimously. Council also directed staff to return with options and cost estimates for priority trail segments and to pursue opportunities for developer reimbursements and grant funding where feasible.

Separately, the council voted unanimously to bring back the Kelly Drive/Kelly Park roundabout CIP item before the June 17 budget adoption so alternatives (including a conventional intersection) and safety data can be presented to council and the public.

Ending: Staff said they will report back with refined cost estimates, timeline scenarios tied to PUC and Coastal Commission reviews, and recommended priority segments for investment.