The tunnel under the freeway seems extravagant when people can use the existing Carlsbad Village Drive access. The rest of the project seems simple and relatively inexpensive if the tunnel is left out. Let’s note that the map above is from 2009 – none of parking structures have happened yet.
The Imagine Carlsbad team will host a monthly Carlsbad Village walkabout and Q & A on Monday, April 19th at 6PM. The first walkabout will focus on the topic of the Grand Promenade and Grand Street Tunnel. Come meet Gary Nessim and Bob Wilkinson on the corner of State and Grand to review the vision and plans for a Village gathering space called the Grand Promenade and the proposed Grand Ave tunnel under the 5 freeway to Pio Pico.
The Grand Promenade was originally presented to the City Council Members in 2009 and has been incorporated into the Village and Barrio Master Plan. There will be a short walk along Grand and a Question-and-Answer opportunity following the walk. The team at Imagine Carlsbad plans to host a monthly walk to address pertinent issues including: Northwest quadrant Civic Center options, Parking, Architectural Style. Looking forward to seeing all interested citizens.
Parking downtown is packed right now, tenuous at best and summer will turn ugly, I assume we’ll be looking at $25/day parking to fund those structures. They are going to price themselves out of locals aka why bother / go to Oceanside, but I guess tourists can pay the bills and keep Grubbys full? I guess I can live with visiting Campfire and Jeune Et Jolie once or twice a year and call it good, but there is just not enough parking otherwise.
Hard to understand why the City Council has ignored the parking situation. They have the money – they’ve been collecting it from builders.
Funny to see this map is from 2009. I rode my bike today on coast highway and looks like something is going on at Ponto in Southwest Carlsbad, some grading and infrastructure put in the ground. I know there are plans and dreams there for developers. One of the 3 or 4 old houses that remain on the East side of the road has an old sign attached to their garage-sideways of course- in true Ponto style!. It reads: “Coming in 2005 22 Condominiums”. I would guess the spacious Ponto land will continue to be a battleground, the last frontier in Coastal North County.
Yep, Ponto is #1 and the site of the Power Plant is #1a.
It’s still amazing to me that the smoke stack will be gone in the next month or two, but the city hasn’t made any plans to redevelop.
I find the lack of discussion regarding the 3-2 left wing majority on the CBad council very interesting when it comes to topics like development. Doubtful anything positive results given the rigidness of the 3 person majority. The absurd garbage decision last week is clear evidence that the left has taken over.
I have to admit….this is not a bad idea. A continuous, pedestrian-bike only safe pathway is a good idea.
The Elm St underpass is not safe nor suitable for vehicular traffic and pedestrian/bike traffic.
So many people have E-bikes now and demand for E-bikes is not slowing down. Therefore, parking in the Village is a non-issue.
I don’t go into the Village between Memorial Day and Labor Day anyway.
For years and years the council seemingly approved of every freakin project in the village and greater Carlsbad and paid no attention to local resident input. And this wasn’t surprising given the amount of money that Hall and Blackburn (and Packard too) stand to make and have made off of allowing for all that development. So cry me a river for having council members actually care about local input after far too long of catering to developers.
As to the power plant, I’d bet dollars to donuts that it’s going to be a hotel (Grand Pacific Resorts anyone?). Hall and Blackburn and too much of the powers that be in Carlsbad have no imagination for it to be something better/more interesting.
Have been following Gary and his Grand idea since 2009.
If only our mayor and past council had more vision than focusing so much on maximizing their own RE holdings (just before Packard quit, he sold his Village building – after voting on it! – to his own kids who immediately resold it to the 4 story McBox developers) over our Carlsbadian citizens…
Although fortunately, the council is finally more open to new ideas (rather than focusing mostly on lining their own pockets) now than back in 2009!
Concerning parking, they just need to do what Oceanside and every other dense DT/transit area does. Build a multi-story parking structure where the Village Coaster parking lot is. That has been a very inefficient use of valuable space – free 3-day parking – for decades…