"The City has rights to a parcel in the Encinitas Ranch Town Center for a theater and other community uses, as defined in the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan. Council expressed interest in looking for ways to put that space (now vacant and weed-filled) to use as soon as possible, and to explore concepts such as an open-air theater shell and a farmer’s market. I agree with the observation by Mayor Barth that New Encinitas deserves more public spaces and that this vacant lot should be used for the community."Apparently, during her two years in office since then, Lisa has forgotten that "New Encinitas deserves more public spaces" and decided instead to mortgage the city's future on an asbestos laden elementary school in an effort to beholden herself to the nearby wealthy homeowners who do not want the parcel developed. On top of that, those residents get more city [debt financed] investment into an arts center that they can walk to, all at the expense of the other 61,000 Encinitas residents. GLAD TO CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE!
As a New Encinitas resident, it would have been fantastic to have an open air arts center that my family could walk to. It certainly beats having the vacant lot (that I'm certain would not have cost $10 million to develop) that is sitting in Encinitas Ranch now.
PV is 2.82 acres. What's the size of the lot between Ortho and Chase?
ReplyDeleteWhatever it is, it was found adequate by a sketch of a moderate size performance space with addition areas for practicing etc. by Jim Gillion many years ago. BTW, he supported purchasing PV.
DeleteThe difference is that the the lot in Encinitas Ranch Town Center would have none of the impediments, some of them non remediable, of the PV. site. One would have provided an arts center, the other (that will cost 40 mil over time) will not.
No, of course not. Who's to say that a city of 61,000 people needs a nearly 3 acre arts center? Is the plan to build a behemoth $50 million California Center for the Arts caliber arts center?
ReplyDeleteWow, what a revelation about what both Teresa and Lisa said while campaigning for votes in New Encinitas. Once again they have abandoned New Encinitas after they get their votes out of this area and instead they tried to dump all the affordable housing along El Camino until a few people woke up and informed the New Encinitas residents.
ReplyDeleteI know this site, it is a finished site with all utilities apparently there and all the parking as well. It would only take probably about half ($5M) of what Barth, Shaffer and Kranz paid for the unusable PV site to deliver a beautiful arts center in the heart of the Community. New Encinitas got shafted on the Library location, let's not let these 3 (unfortunately now Barth's replacement Blakespear) take away yet another amenity and deliver it to the Coast.
I did what I could. I had a letter to the editor in the Encinitas Advocate describing the site in New Encinitas, with a link to a video of it, that they never included. I wrote an article on "FocusOnEncintias.blogspot.com" about Jim Gillian doing a sketch of of a performance space that could be built there with ancillary facilities for practice, and other activities.
ReplyDeleteThe article was included in my report on the sub-committees findings that based on Zoning limitations, Tax issues for future bonds, and most importantly the limits for usage by the Coastal Commission, the Pacific View will never be an art center.
The Troika just didn't give a damn, even if my article had enough validity that it was placed in the records of that subcommittee meeting. What we have done is spent over the next three decades well over forty million dollars if we count lost tax revenues, for something that will not function as described.
We finally did have a city wide referendum on this issues in the form of the vote for Tony Kranz, the hero of getting this passed. It showed what I had found in my own survey that I had circulated, that the 2/3 of this city opposed this purchase.
Al Rodbell
The whole PV issue (would be $30 million for minimalistic art center- Library was $25 million. New fire stations $6 million each total $30 million, Regional Sports complex $60,000,000 not including perpetual ridiculously high operations and maintenance costs, and a $3 million dollar lifeguard tower) is a sad joke on all Encinitas Tax payers. Thanks for posting this post.
ReplyDeleteAll the existing incumbents need to be fired along with City Manager Vina. We need fresh blood and some people with intelligence on how to manage a sustainable City- Not a continual trophy building City with neglect for its existing residents and infrastructure.