CARLSBAD: Road extension could cost school district $5 million

Officials hoping city will remove project from general plan

By STACY BRANDT - Staff Writer | Friday, October 10, 2008 3:10 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- The Carlsbad Unified School District could end up getting less school for more money if the city requires it to build an extension of Cannon Road as part of its new high school campus, district officials said this week.

Building a 900- to 1,200-foot, four-lane extension of the road next to the campus could cost roughly $5 million, said Walter Freeman, assistant superintendent of business services for the district. That could take away from the 1,000-space parking lot planned for the campus, slated to open in 2012, Freeman said.

"We could wind up spending millions more than the current plan calls for and have less school," he said. "We don't like that outcome."

Originally, district officials had hoped to have the high school opened by 2011, but those plans were pushed back when regulatory agencies found protected plants and birds on the nearly 60-acre site near College Boulevard and Cannon Road.

District officials initially expected to spend about $95 million for the campus. However, the delays could push the price tag up an extra $4 million a year, officials have said. That's in addition to any work the district might have to do to lessen environmental impacts on the site.

The road extension could provide another complication and cost more money, Freeman said.

Extending Cannon Road east, all the way into Oceanside, is part of the city's general plan. Because of that, the city could require the district to build the portion of the street that is on district property. The city requires developers to pay for new roads that are needed for their projects.

The larger Cannon Road extension has already been controversial and is opposed by nearby homeowners and environmentalists.

District officials are hoping the city will remove the extension from the general plan. In that case, the district would simply have to construct enough road to bring cars into the school and would be able to devote more land to its parking lot.

Joe Garuba, municipal projects director for the city, said city and district officials are in very preliminary talks about the situation.

"We've just begun the process," he said. "Clearly, we're going to work to try to support the school district and their efforts."

Superintendent John Roach said this week that he wants plans for the campus revised by the end of the year to reflect whatever changes will be required because of the road and environmental concerns. Otherwise, the opening of the school could be delayed further, he said.

City and school officials plan to meet over the next couple of months to come up with an agreement about the road extension.

"The reality is that, at some point, we're going to have to plan a campus," Freeman said. "The school board may not have a choice but to move forward or delay the opening."

The district could choose to move forward without building the road and face a possible legal challenge from the city, or it could pay for the extension as part of the school construction.

"We want to avoid the potential, if we can, of a court fight," Freeman said.

Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.

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