It’s the holidays and many of the local food pantries are providing meals for those who are less fortunate.
We want to assist others who are struggling or could use a helping hand. We have teamed up with Mama’s Kitchen who provides full meals to their clients who are too sick to cook/shop for themselves because of medical illnesses such as HIV or cancer.
Their primary fundraiser is Mama’s Pies, where local restaurants, bakeries and caterers donate thousands of pies that are then sold to others. Each pie sold provides 8 meals for the clients of Mama’s Kitchen.
Help us, help them!
Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan and Crunchy Dutch Apple sell for $25 each, and the first one is on us!
For your FREE PIE, email us at klingerealtygroup@compass.com and let us know what flavor you want – Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan or Crunchy Dutch Apple. Then on Monday, November 25th, come to our office at the La Costa Resort to pick it up.
If you want or need more than one pie for your Thanksgiving Dinner, you can buy additional pies through us so Mama’s Kitchen can serve more meals this holiday season. All you have to do is click on the link below to order your additional pies.
CARLSBAD — The iconic smokestack atop the Encina Power Station received a stay of execution.
The City Council approved an extension, not to exceed nine months, for the demolition deadline of the regional landmark.
Gary Barberio, deputy city manager for Carlsbad, said NRG Energy, which owns the power plant and new peaker plant located behind the old station, stated two reasons for the delay. One is the desalination plant using water pumps from the power plant for seawater. The second reason is an antenna atop the smokestack, which is used by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for its Regional Communications System used by law enforcement and fire departments for emergency response.
The goal is to have both items addressed by April 2020, although the desalination pumps may not be installed until June 2020, Barberio said.
“We are very hopeful the new system will be up and running for the sheriff’s department by April 2020,” he added.
NRG and San Diego Gas & Electric own large swaths of the property, although NRG owns significantly more. Barberio told the council he would not discuss a potential agreement with SDG&E and its North Coast Operations Center, which sits along Cannon Road.
I went to the annual seat shuffle at Petco Park on Tuesday. It’s the event where Padres season-ticket holders can see which seats have become available, and possibly switch to a better location.
It reminded me of our local real estate market:
The best locations are owned by seniors who have had them for a long time, and they’re not giving them up!
There were some decent seats available, but very few of the prime seats up close.
Old-timers discussing their future mirrored what I hear about their real estate too. Some have a specific succession plan where, upon their death, the kids will take over the tickets, but there were others who mentioned that their kids are out-of-town, and have no interest.
Will there be a time when a load of great tickets become available?
Just like we’ve seen in real estate, probably not.
But you don’t need every senior to bail – all you need is one old couple to give up their prime spot!
Visitor’s clubhouse
Here’s a 33-second look at how few of the good seats were available:
Welcome to the San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival, where sailboats and sandy beaches serve as the backdrop to one of the country’s most talked-about weeks in food. Featuring dozens of events, hundreds of domestic and international wineries, the celebration of craft beer and spirits, local culinary legends and nationally recognized celebrities, and a Grand Tasting Finale on the stunning Embarcadero.
The San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival raises money for local and national charities including scholarships for culinary, hospitality, enology, and viticulture students. To date, the Festival has donated more than $475,000 for aspiring professionals.
Who’s ready to scare up some spooky fun and score some serious candy? Here’s where you can take those little pumpkins of yours tonight:
Carmel Valley
Attend the Del Mar Highlands Town Center Community Halloween event from 4 – 6 p.m. tonight and ghouls and goblins can trick-or-treat at participating stores. Several restaurants will be offering dinner specials too, so stick around for eats that are more than candy.
Carlsbad – Bressi Ranch
Homes in this beautiful neighborhood are decked out, and many look like they’ve been professionally fashioned with lighting, music and special effects generally reserved for venues like Disneyland. Click HERE for a video of what it’s like to trick-or-treat in Bressi Ranch.
Del Mar
San Diego County’s largest haunted experience, The Scream Zone is considered among the goriest, scariest, and screaming-est fright fests to be found in the dark corners of Southern California. Your Triple Haunt favorites are back: the horrifying House of Horror, the dizzying Chamber, and the Haunted Hayride, each casting its evil spell on the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Encinitas
Don’t miss the awesome Safe Trick-or-Treat event in downtown Encinitas tonight from 5-8 p.m. This event attracts thousands of costumed locals of all ages on the hunt for treats and to behold the spectacular pumpkins that are carved by the Self-Realization Fellowship monks. Stroll Highway 101, which turns into “Pumpkin Lane” (Encinitas Blvd. to K St.), to view the pumpkins at multiple locations while dozens of merchants will hand out goodies to the kiddos. Stop by the Encinitas 101 office (818 S. Coast Hwy 101) to pick up a free Halloween themed bag.
San Marcos
Santa Fe Hills has previously been voted the #1 best neighborhood for trick-or-treating in San Diego––and for good reason! The houses in this community transform into festive and spooky abodes with carved pumpkins and decorations that wow––but beware––some of the decor and spectacles may be too scary for very young kids, so proceed with caution. If you do feel like braving this neighborhood, you’ll surely get an eyeful! While in San Marcos, kick off the evening with a fun Halloween celebration at nearby Jack’s Pond Nature Center. They transform the Barn with “spooktacular” decor and kids can play games and do crafts and pick up some goodies.
The Haunted Trail
Located in San Diego’s world famous Balboa Park, The Haunted Trail is a stroll through the park you will never forget. Enter the mile-long Trail through the grove of twisted pines and gnarled oaks. Visitors watch your back, you never know which way the scares will hit you. Experience outdoor horror that is simply too big to house indoors!
The lowering of the train tracks in Carlsbad has been discussed for years, and it looks like it’s going to happen. The number of trains is expected to DOUBLE to 100 PER DAY!
The Carlsbad City Council received an update from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) on a future project to potentially lower the railroad tracks in Carlsbad’s downtown railroad corridor.
In anticipation of train traffic doubling through Carlsbad by 2035, a second set of train tracks will need to be built alongside the existing tracks. The city is exploring the alternative of lowering the future double tracks beneath the existing street elevations through the Village and Barrio areas in Northern Carlsbad.
The City of Carlsbad, SANDAG and North County Transit District completed a study in 2017, determining that lowering the railroad tracks in a trench, beneath the existing street elevations, is technically feasible and has economic benefit. Two alternatives are now under evaluation: short trench and long trench alternatives.
Both alternatives would lower the double railroad tracks beginning from the Buena Vista Lagoon in the City of Oceanside, require replacement of the Carlsbad Boulevard overcrossing with a new bridge spanning the tracks and replace the railroad bridge across Buena Vista Lagoon.
The short trench alternative, which spans 6,000 feet, would construct vehicle overpasses at Grand Avenue, Carlsbad Village Drive, and Oak Avenue, with pedestrian overpasses at Beech Avenue/Carlsbad Village Station and Chestnut Avenue.
The long trench alternative spans 8,400 feet to include vehicle overpasses at Grand Avenue, Carlsbad Village Drive, Oak Avenue, Chestnut Avenue and Tamarack Avenue, with a pedestrian overpass at Beech Avenue/Carlsbad Village Station.
Lowering the railroad tracks below street level is reported to have a variety of benefits, including:
Improved roadway circulation: Eliminates the need to stop at crossing gates multiple times a day, improving traffic circulation for drivers, public safety and first responders
Increased car and pedestrian safety: Creates a positive barrier separating cars and pedestrians from crossing the tracks
Decreased environmental impacts: Reduces noise impacts from train horns and eliminates the need for crossing bells
Positive economic impacts: Considers the value of lives, time saved, walkability and railroad operations
Next Steps
SANDAG is currently preparing an analysis study on the two options for lowering the railroad tracks in a trench. A draft report is estimated to be completed in fall 2019, at which point public input will be sought on the short trench and long trench alternatives.
Carlsbad’s high quality of life and rich pool of skilled workers are attracting cutting-edge life sciences companies from other industry hubs.
Carlsbad is an important part of the San Diego region’s top life sciences cluster, said Joseph Jackson, co-founder of Bio, Tech and Beyond, a science and technology incubator that leases lab space to a variety of startup tenants.
“It is one of the better managed cities in the region,” Jackson said. “That is why it keeps attracting blue chip and innovation companies.”
The city has worked hard to make Carlsbad a welcoming place for life science companies and the high-paying jobs they create, said Jackson, who came to Carlsbad from Silicon Valley in 2013. The city leased Jackson a 6,000-square-foot building on Faraday Avenue to serve as a start-up incubator.
Since then, tenants at Bio, Tech and Beyond have created more than 200 new jobs, Jackson said. The incubator has helped make Carlsbad one of the pillars of the San Diego region’s life sciences industry.
A new biotech company
One of the new arrivals to Carlsbad’s life sciences community is Lineage Cell Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops novel cellular therapies.
The company manufactures retina cells to help people with macular degeneration, said CEO Brian Culley. It also manufactures cells to promote recoveries from debilitating spinal cord injuries.
It was Culley who pushed for the move to Carlsbad as a cost-saving measure. A North San Diego County resident, he had no desire to relocate. The affordability of leased space and the close proximity to other top life science companies enabled him to make a compelling case for moving to Carlsbad.
Lineage Cell Therapeutics’ Salk Avenue office currently houses 10 employees. It relocated from Alameda in the San Francisco Bay Area, although the company continues to employ people there as well as in Israel, Culley said. He described the Carlsbad office as “the heart and brain” of the company.
“It was really easy to find an ideal space for our needs,” he said.
Another bonus was finding that labor costs in Carlsbad are much more affordable than in the pricey San Francisco Bay Area. Culley said his Carlsbad employees appreciate the lighter traffic and the local work-life balance. A soccer player, he said he already has connected with other local enthusiasts. One of the places he likes to play is Aviara Community Park.
“It’s a delightful community,” he said. “It provides everything you need.”
The power of microchips
In a garage in South Carlsbad, Ana and Octavian Florescu have started a company that seeks to use the power of microchips to run analytical blood tests.
In Diagnostics is housed in their garage, but the couple also leases a lab bench from Bio, Tech and Beyond to have access to additional equipment. Their goal is to develop quick and inexpensive tests for monitoring patient wellness. The couple has raised $3 million to bring their technology to market. Their prototype will start with veterinary tests.
Octavian is a former microchip designer for Qualcomm who earned his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. He and Ana launched their business last year, after moving to Carlsbad from the San Francisco Bay Area.
“We chose Carlsbad specifically because the work-life balance seems to be really good,” Octavian said. “We had a baby in May of 2018 and our second son two weeks ago. Carlsbad is one of the most family-friendly places we have seen.”
The couple enjoys the coastal lifestyle – Octavian is a surfer and likes the convenience of living a short drive from the beach.
Now preparing to expand their business, the couple plans to lease 5,300 square feet of space near McClellan-Palomar Airport, beginning in 2020. They also plan to begin hiring between five and 10 people.
“We’re excited to grow our team and look forward to connecting with local talent,” Ana said. “We’re also very interested in connecting with local veterinarians interested in testing out our prototype.”
The collaborative nature of this thriving coastal community is yet another attraction to life science companies. As the region continues to thrive as a booming innovation center, Carlsbad will contribute to the ecosystem’s growth by attracting and growing both large and small cutting-edge companies.
Carlsbad has been put on notice – the NRG smokestack is coming down!
The big question is what will go up in its place, and it should be the next big fight among locals. It’s probably a toss up between a mixed-use hotel development and a public park – but not a Nordstrom!
Will the removal of the ugly and dangerous-looking smokestack improve nearby home values?
There are two neighborhoods that could benefit – Spyglass/Heron Bay and Terramar:
The Spyglass/Heron Bay neighborhoods up on the hill have had the smokestack blocking their view since the beginning, and it would be a welcome relief for those homeowners to see it go. When I was trying to sell the former model, the view of the ‘stack was the #1 complaint, and we never did sell the house.
This is what it looked like – it does spoil the sunset view, doesn’t it?
The other community affected is Terramar, which is across the street from the plant and has been there just about as long – both date back to the 1950s.
When I’ve had listings in Terramar, there were always comments at open houses about the ugly factor, and concerns that pollutants were being released that would kill people. But because Terramar is ocean-close, there were always enough beachlovers who were willing to overlook any negativity about the plant.
Terramar has been under-priced for a few years now, primarily due to the lack of turnover and off-market sales. The last sale on El Arbol was only $1,104,000 for 1,644sf on a 7,500sf lot, which if it were further north in the Garfield area it would have garnered at least 10% more. The east side of El Arbol does get a direct shot of railroad, but the RR goes by Garfield too.
I think both areas could see a +10% benefit in nearby home values once the smokestack is gone, just for the happy factor – it will be a relief to see it go, and be one less thing for buyers to worry about!
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