If you’ve read my blog over the years (and I know you do),
then you know about the changes coming to Ponto beach in south Carlsbad (i.e.
the land surrounding the jetties separating Leucadia/Carlsbad). You can
reminisce here and here.
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There are basically 3 ½ plans for development:
- Cape Rey Hilton- completed and next door to the Hanover Beach Colony homes
- The second phase which the San Diego Union Tribune reported on recently (more on that below)
- The ‘final’ phase which is thought to be a high end resort like the Montage in Laguna or Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay. (Speaking of Laguna, it’s interesting they have 4 high end resorts; Ritz Carlton, Montage, St. Regis, and technically Pelican Hill- and we don’t even have 1 in Oceanside/Carlsbad/Encinitas/Solana Beach! Are we not good enough?! Whatever you socialites.)
- And the ½ in the ‘3 ½’ mentioned above: That random skinny piece of land in the far most NW track of land in Leucadia- up on the hill where Davina’s Cabo Grill used to sit and the ‘staircase to nowhere’ above the Ponto paved parking lot. Supposedly that’s owned by Omni La Costa Resort and they’ll make that an extension of their hotel up the road. Maybe food service on the beach, beach chairs, surfboard rentals, a couple bungalows on the bluff- think of what Hawaiian or Florida resorts do.
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend (besides
surf, watch the Teahupoo contest, hang at the beach with the ladies, or gasp!
do yardwork), you can read the full master plan here.
But I’m getting off track (as usual). Let’s talk about the
present and bullet point #2 in which the San Diego Union Tribune reported on
last week. You can read the full report
here, but I’ll put it in a nutshell:
“An application has been submitted to develop a key piece of
property covered by the Ponto Beachfront Village Vision Plan approved by the
city nearly 10 years ago. Irvine-based Shopoff Realty Investments turned in its
plans to the Carlsbad Planning Department in April for an 11.3-acre mixture of
residential and commercial development on vacant land that straddles Ponto
Drive just north of Avenida Encinas. Shopoff’s plan outlines a neighborhood of
76 luxury townhomes with three and four bedrooms, 73 rental condominiums of one
to three bedrooms, and a small “village” of three-story buildings with shops,
restaurants and specialty stores on the first floor and 42 ocean view
apartments on the second and third floors.
The overall Ponto Beachfront plan covers about 50 acres
between Carlsbad Boulevard (Highway 101) and the railroad tracks north of
Batiquitos Lagoon. The idea is to create a welcoming gateway for people
entering the southwest quadrant of the city. The Shopoff project would be the
second piece of the Ponto plan to be finished. The first was the 215-room
Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa, completed in 2012 and renamed this
year the Cape Rey.
Among the city’s popular beach neighborhoods, Ponto has long
been the black sheep. The area was zoned for manufacturing until 1975, when the
city changed the zoning to residential. A one-acre auto salvage yard remained a
notable eyesore on the prime coastal property until the city forced it out with
a Superior Court ruling in 1985. Another and more recent longtime Ponto
landmark was the two-story pile of firewood along the coastal highway, marked
by a sign that said “Wood not for sale.” Ponto remains Carlsbad’s last large
swath of undeveloped coastal property. But the few people who still live, work
and own businesses there seem resolved to the fact that change is coming.”
Don’t shoot the messenger! I’m not going to get all
political here- that’s not the purpose of the North County Surf Blog- I just
report what I see. But the fact is that all the trees, animals, etc. were
removed YEARS ago and we need to do something with the land since it’s
surrounded by chain link fence and collecting trash.
What I don’t want is
another Huntington Beach (even though I did spend a couple days there last
weekend and had a fabulous time; ‘It’s a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t
want to live there…’) so whatever plans are put in place, we need to make sure
it’s to our benefit:
- It looks appealing and fits in with the surrounding community
- We generate tax revenue so we can pay our men in uniform, fix potholes, etc.
- And if we draw in more tourists- they better support our local businesses damnit!
