Encinitas council reverses surplus finding for 634 Quail Gardens Drive, designates L7 as park using existing zoning

The Encinitas City Council voted unanimously to repeal a 2023 finding that declared 634 Quail Gardens Drive (known in council materials as "L7") surplus and to preserve the site for park use under existing zoning rules.

The action restores the property's park status and directs staff to record deed restrictions limiting the property to park purposes, start a public design process, and explore a memorandum of understanding with a nonprofit for fundraising and stewardship. Councilmembers also asked staff to identify and report the source of $3,100,000 in park mitigation funds the city intends to apply toward the site.

The decision follows more than a year of staff work and public engagement. Melinda Dacey, the city's housing services manager, summarized the background and the legal constraints the council faced — notably that rezoning from residential to nonresidential can trigger voter approval under the city's Proposition A and could require replacing residential capacity elsewhere under state housing law. Dacey described two primary options staff had presented: (1) dedicate the site as parkland using existing zoning and record deed restrictions, or (2) pursue rezoning that would require additional steps including a local coastal…