Public comments sought on Robertson Ranch plans

By: BARBARA HENRY - Staff Writer | Saturday, November 12, 2005 11:48 PM PST ∞

CARLSBAD ---- The first steps have been taken toward transforming a large, privately owned patch of agricultural land along El Camino Real into homes, businesses, tiny parks and a school site.

Environmental documents relating to the development of Robertson Ranch, a 398-acre expanse bordered by Tamarack Avenue to the north and Cannon Road to the south, now face public scrutiny.

The deadline for written comments on a draft environmental impact report is Dec. 2. It has been extended by several weeks because of requests from the public, city planner Barbara Kennedy said last week. Public hearings are expected early next year.

At least one environmental group, Preserve Calavera, plans to submit written comments. Its leader, Diane Nygaard, has said she has concerns about the way the increase in traffic and other issues will be handled.

Reaction from businesses and residents near the ranch was mixed last week. Several businessmen on the western side of El Camino said they expected their cash registers will benefit if there are more homes across the street, but they lamented the loss of open land.

"Haven't we developed enough?" asked Art Marino, manager of Oasis Nursery & Palms.

The leader of the homeowners association for Rancho Carlsbad, a gated senior mobile-home park just south of the ranch, said he was pleased that its developers will pay for a storm drain system to reduce flooding problems.

However, he said, Rancho Carlsbad residents will fight the developers' plans to put one of the small housing areas next to their community's northern wall.

"It's incompatible with our lifestyle," said Bill Arnold, president of the homeowners association.

From veggies to palm fronds
Carlsbad officials have long said they expected development to come to the rolling hills of Robertson Ranch. They are counting on developers to pay for improvements to parts of College Boulevard and Cannon Road, as well as the storm drain project.

Most of Robertson Ranch now contains row after row of vegetable plants snaking their way up rolling hillsides. Near the northern end, a weather-worn fruit and vegetable shack pulls in shoppers driving along El Camino Real.

The far southern corner contains Parkway Nursery, home to palm trees of all shapes and sizes. An employee said the nursery's lease is up next summer, and the place has posted clearance signs.

Ownership of the ranch land is split. The Robertson Family Trust holds title to the northern 220 acres. Corky McMillin Cos. purchased the southern part ---- about 178 acres ---- several years ago from the Robertson group.

Plans call for the southern part to see development first. Accessed from Cannon Road, this area is referred to as "East Village" in city planning documents. It is proposed that it will contain 310 homes on 5,000-square-foot lots, as well as 71 apartment units, a community recreation area, three tiny "pocket" parks and 104 of what are termed "courtyard" homes. They are similar to condominiums, except they don't share any walls, officials said.

Part of the job
At the same time that the city's Planning Department is handling the environmental report, it is processing a tentative development plan for the southern "East Village" area.

If all goes well and the master planning documents are approved, the southern region's grading, road work and storm rain project could start next spring, said Brian J. Milich, a senior vice president with McMillin Land Development. The company hopes to have the storm drain done before the winter of 2006-07, he said.

All of the housing construction and other work on the southern half of Robertson Ranch is expected to be done in four years, Milich added. Work on the northern half won't begin anytime soon. It's forecast to start three to 10 years after the Robertson Ranch master planning documents are approved, the draft environmental report states.

For now, consultants are estimating that the northern area will contain 268 single-family homes, and 423 apartments/courtyard structures.

Though the two projects are separated by several years, the city is linking them in the environmental report and other master planning documents, Kennedy said. That allows for better coordination, she added, on such issues as the elementary school site ---- 3.3 acres of which is in the southern project area and 6.8 acres is in the northern half.

Fighting the traffic
Developing all of Robertson Ranch to the extent that is proposed will have some "significant, unavoidable impacts," the draft environmental report has concluded. Traffic problems will require extensive mitigation efforts, and even with those measures, "the impacts will remain significant and unavoidable," it states.

Developers will need to improve roads on all four sides of Robertson Ranch ---- El Camino Real, Tamarack Avenue, Cannon Road and College Boulevard ---- the report notes.

But, it continues, increased traffic will cause problems beyond the immediate project zone. Of particular concern are three intersections outside the city's jurisdiction ---- College Boulevard/Plaza Drive, Vista Way/College Boulevard and College Boulevard/Lake Avenue. All three are in Oceanside, and because they are outside of Carlsbad's jurisdiction, the traffic effects are considered "unmitigable," the report declares.

Environmentalists have said that is unacceptable. If Carlsbad approves the Robertson Ranch documents, they have said, Carlsbad is going to find itself in the same situation it had with Vista. For years, Carlsbad and Vista fought over when Melrose Drive should be extended to ease regional traffic issues. That project is now under construction.

Traffic issues are also on the minds of Robertson Ranch's neighbors. Bob Sliwa, owner of Bobby's Hideaway Cafe on El Camino, said traffic is his biggest worry.

"Growth is an inevitable thing," he said as he discussed the development plan. "It's part of evolution. You need to grow, you need to develop, provided you do it smartly."

Contact staff writer Barbara Henry at (760) 901-4072 or bhenry@nctimes.com.

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.