Carlsbad Neighbors Concerned about Marja Acres

11/21/2024

FYI the commercial portion of Marja Acres has been ministerially approved to enlarge the two buildings to incorporate more businesses.

One will definitely be a restaurant but it is unknown what the other businesses will be.

Ministerial changes to the projects do not have to go back to Council but can be made by the planner. Another example is the addition of a swimming pool for the project.

02/27/2024

An update. The townhomes going up at Marja Acres are limited to a 35ft height limit according to City law.

I asked the City to provide a legitimate survey on those two front buildings along ECR as to the height.

FYI Parapets, and elevator shafts/stairwells can increase the height limit legally according to City law.

Luckily this developer has chosen to omit roof top decks thus omitting parapets.

11/07/2023

I decided to go up the hill and take another photo of the "progress" of Marja Acres. So far the project managers have not determined the price of the homes. I hope to find out in a few days.

UPDATE: I just spoke to the developer and they said that the prices haven't been finalized yet but she thinks that the prices will start in the low $1Ms. The Marketing rep said that they have very tough CC&Rs and will not allow investment buying. They want owner occupied homes and they have a history of that. She also said that they will not allow Short Term Rentals.

This is an updated photo with the three story model homes.

10/30/2023

You may have noticed some buildings going up on the Marja Acres property. Those are the 3 story model townhomes. I took the photos on Oct. 15, 2023 when they were 1 story but now they have been built up to 3 stories.

I have also posted a map of the approved project and where the new model townhomes are circled in red.

05/04/2022

Today, May 3, 2022 the main building of Marja Acres went down. Over the years it held Bobby's Hideaway (inside photo attached here), the General Store (with a post office and meat counter, VHS video), a bike shop, a Guitar shop, a liquor store and Hortensia's Flowers...perhaps you can add to it.

By 5pm, this building was gone. The egg building remains for now which contained Carrillo Pottery. Not sure when it goes down.

To the west will be affordable Senior apartments, front and center will be 2 commercial buildings and the rest will be ~260 townhomes. Rooftop decks were eliminated from the plans.

02/04/2022

Today Carlsbad Magazine reported that the Marja Acres chicken would be taken to Fallbrook.

Update: Carlsbad Magazine has reported that the chicken will stay in Carlsbad.

10/13/2021

Carlsbad Neighbors. You may have noticed the lack of activity at the Marja Acres site since the approval of the project on Nov. 3, 2020.

They will start construction on the market rate townhomes in December 2021. Update: Now that it is at the end of January 2022, no construction has begun. I called the City Planner (who replaced Teri DelCamp now retired) and got a generic response "you know it takes time to get actual plans done, yada yada." Not in any hurry, for sure to have this built.

Today the City council approved a $650,000 loan from the City's Housing Trust fund (funded by developers over time from in Lieu fees etc). That money will be used along with other monies to fund the Low income senior housing portion of the development,
See Photo.

The Senior affordable housing portion will be sold and managed by USA properties. The rents will be guaranteed for 55 years.

Here are the proposed rents. Seniors 55y and older, construction starting (expected) "late summer 2022"

03/11/2021

Drove by Marja Acres today. Seems like they are putting up a fence to start the development.

During this pandemic, so many businesses are suffering, and now these businesses also have to put up the money to move from Marja Acres. Plant Play, Country Liquor, Carrillo Pottery, Bobby's Cafe, and Hortensia's flowers. Here is an article about our local flower shop that is moving that was the subject of a recent News 8 story. https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/zevely-zone/flower-shop-owner-in-need-receives-a-lifeline-from-unlikely-source/509-b2789cc9-8564-4106-9b94-e081f4a01d72?fbclid=IwAR3vik7KYQK5WXZYJch81RCP-ApnEcgmKFELjYNGahQvmk_hcKg3I4SzyfE

A 30-year age difference didn't stop Tori from helping Hortensia face her demolition deadline.

01/25/2021

FYI, Bobby's restaurant at Marja Acres has moved. They are setting up to temporarily operate at the old Bestawan restaurant location on Jefferson. Update: Bobby's is open for take out and outdoor dining.http://www.bobbyshideawaycafe.com/pages/To_Go_Menu.pdf

760-729-6900

11/04/2020

The Marja Acres project was voted on today by the City Council. That project passed and the developer will begin the project after a last minute request was granted to the community to retest the soil. FYI.

10/27/2020

Dear Carlsbad neighbors,
We have been researching this development for a little more than 4 years now. We have met with staff, including planners, staff civil engineers and housing directors-multiple times.
Recently I have met via telephone or in person, Dr. Priya Bhat-Patel, Cori Schumacher and Keith Blackburn about this development.

*This project will be decided at the next City Council meeting on Nov. 3 at 3pm.* That is less than a week away.

Many of you are concerned about the impact of *TRAFFIC* to the area. This post will discuss that issue.

The Traffic report submitted to the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) using the LOS methodology showed a failing grade from the road segment on El Camino Real from Tamarack Southbound to Cannon Rd. (see photo). With the addition of at least 650 (expected) cars from the Marja Acres development to join the failed segment, this stretch of road promises us a quagmire of congestion. No joke.

Under the Growth Management Plan (GMP) passed by voters in 1986 which prohibits development if a segment reaches a grade of E or F (in an A-F grading scale where E or F =Fail), the City has found an alternate way of bypassing the GMP by including in the update to the General Plan (2015), a way to allow growth with a failing roadway.

This methodology is called "exemption". When roads fail, the segment is "exempted" from the Growth Management Plan and the development is allowed to go ahead.
When it was shown (see photo) that the current segment has already failed using the LOS methodology, the City staff decided to arbitrarily use a new VMT methodology which, as of July 1, 2020 is now the legal, state mandated methodology. This methodology allowed the Traffic report to show a passing grade for traffic. What should have been used was the LOS method since that methodology was in effect when the project was deemed complete in December 2018.

Submitted by the Traffic Dept. consultant, Kimley Horn, this table (pg. 74) was included in the City of Carlsbad Roadway Level of Service (LOS) Analysis submitted February 2020 showing the Grade F at the segment between Tamarack and Cannon without the Marja Acres development.

On November 3rd, staff proposes to exempt El Camino Real between Tamarack and Cannon Road so that it bypasses the Growth Management Plan and allows the Marja Acres development.

Please write to the City Council. [email protected]