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Encinitas council approves applications for two SANDAG smart-growth grants
Summary
The City Council authorized staff to apply for SANDAG Smart Growth Incentive Program Cycle 6 grants for Trail 82 and the La Costa pedestrian path, and approved a joint-application letter with Solana Beach for greenhouse-gas inventories.
The Encinitas City Council on March 19 authorized staff to submit two grant applications to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Smart Growth Incentive Program (SGIP) Cycle 6: Trail 82 (estimated total cost roughly $5.0 million) and the La Costa Avenue pedestrian path (about $1.2 million). The council also approved a letter supporting Solana Beach to serve as lead applicant for a multi-jurisdiction greenhouse-gas (GHG) inventory grant that would cover Encinitas and neighboring cities.
Council members discussed project readiness and scoring priorities before voting. Staff told the council SGIP favors projects that are “shovel ready” and scored project feasibility highly, which is why some other candidates (including North Vulcan path) were not advanced for this cycle. The council directed staff to submit Trail 82 with a proposed city match of $250,000 and the La Costa pedestrian path with a $100,000 match. Council approved the action unanimously with one member absent.
Why it matters: SANDAG SGIP awards grants in the $500,000–$3.5 million range for capital projects that further regional sustainability and housing-supportive infrastructure. City staff said successful awards would leverage existing local funds and could free up currently budgeted project money for other uses.
What was approved: By motion, council directed staff to prepare and submit the two SGIP applications with the matches described above and to authorize the city manager to accept and administer any awarded grants. The council also authorized Mayor Bruce Ehlers to sign a joint letter with Solana Beach supporting a GHG inventory application.
Project context and next steps: Trail 82 is a multiuse trail recommended in the trails master plan and is intended to connect neighborhoods to Encinitas Boulevard and existing active-transportation infrastructure. The La Costa pedestrian path is at 90% design, staff said, and is eligible for capital funding requests. Staff will complete formal grant applications, which are due in early April; grant awards will still require future council approval if funds are awarded.
