CARLSBAD - A draft report on the first part of Carlsbad's "conversations" about the future of the Cannon Road region is expected out later this month.

That report will be followed by four to six focus group meetings in April and May and a large design workshop in June, city Communications Manager Denise Vedder said.

"It will be an all-day event, possibly even two days," she said of the workshop.

The sessions aim to meet the goals of Proposition D, a city-sponsored ballot measure that voters approved in November 2006. The measure declared that roughly 300 acres of privately owned flower- and strawberry-growing land along Cannon Road just east of Interstate 5 was to remain in open space zoning in perpetuity.

The ballot measure emphasized that keeping agriculture was a goal, but also directed the city to look into other options for the region, using a public participation process to gauge what should be done.

In an open space zone, the city permits "active" parks with features including sports fields, nature trails, city civic buildings and farming operations.

The city began assessing what residents want late last year with two large meetings called "community conversations."

"We're well under way," city Community Development Director Sandra Holder told the City Council at a goal-setting workshop early last week as she discussed the process.

Later in the week, Vedder said that a draft document detailing people's comments at the two workshops in late 2007 is scheduled to be done later this month and will be posted on the city's Web site.

About 300 people attended the November and December meetings. Many of the people at the November session said they wanted agriculture to remain there as long as possible.

There was less consensus on what should happen if the flower and strawberry growing stops. Suggestions included theaters and skate parks.

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