A piece of private property in the Calavera Hills neighborhood known as Village H was sold in April to the Thompson Corp. For legal reasons, the new property owner has put up fences and no trespassing signs, causing concern among residents who want to preserve the land as open space.

Overview

• More than 94 percent of the property is set aside as open space under city zoning and cannot be developed.
• Although the new property owner is putting up signs and fencing, that does not mean the public will not have access to a trail on the property in the future.
• The City of Carlsbad will work with the new property owner to determine when and how the trail on the property could once again be made accessible to the public.
• The trail on the property is identified in the citywide trail master plan as a future city trail, but currently it is not part of the citywide trail system.
• The only development that may occur on the property is a community facilities land use (such as a daycare, place of worship, or senior center) on the 3.2 acre site south of Carlsbad Village Drive.

Property history

• In 2006, the property was nominated for city acquisition to the Proposition C Open Space Committee by both the previous property owner (Calavera Hills II LLC) and neighbors.
• Based upon the information received and the approved ranking criteria, the property was ranked second in the Open Space Committee list of potential property acquisitions.
• The Carlsbad City Council considered purchasing the property at a closed session meeting in early 2008 (discussions about possible real estate acquisitions are conducted in closed session, in accordance with the Brown Act).
• The city declined the offer from Calavera Hills II LLC at that time since purchasing the property would not significantly add open space to the city (more than 94 percent of the site is already set aside as open space) and a large amount of non-native species removal and revegetation with native species would be needed to add to the property to the city's Habitat Management Plan preserve system.
• Preservation of the entire southern portion of the property for Habitat Management Plan open space would necessitate confining public access to the future trail alignment along the western edge of the property, removal of non-native invasive species (including many of the eucalyptus trees), and revegetation of the site zoned for community facilities with native plantings.

What will happen to the property
Ultimate development of the property consistent with the existing Master Plan regulations would result in:

• A community facilities land use (such as a daycare, place of worship, or senior center) on the 3.2 acre site south of Carlsbad Village Drive.
• Preservation of approximately 55 acres of open space, both north and south of Carlsbad Village Drive.
• Public dedication, improvement, and maintenance of the future citywide trail along the western edge of the property.

Property zoning description

• The northern portion of Village H is already included in the city's Habitat Management Plan Hardline Preserve and under a conservation easement for open space preservation and management in perpetuity to the Center for Natural Lands Management.
• South of Carlsbad Village Drive is a mixture of uses and zoning:
• 3.2 acre future community facilities site required by the Calavera Hills Master Plan to meet the Zoning Ordinance requirement at the time the Master Plan was approved Jan. 15, 2002. Any proposal to remove the community facilities designation would necessitate the replacement of that land use elsewhere within the Master Plan.
• 2.3 acre existing Calavera Hills Master HOA RV storage area (note: the RV storage area is within Village I of the Master Plan but a separate legal parcel has yet to be created);
• 18.5 acres of Master Plan open space, containing some native habitat, eucalyptus trees, and non-native grasses;
• Existing Master Plan trail and future citywide trail.

Property facts
Owner: Thompson Corp.
APN: 167-101-19
General Plan Designation:Community Facilities (CF) and Open Space (OS)
Zoning: Planned Community (P-C)
Calavera Hills Master Plan (MP 139 - Villages H and I)
Size: Approximately 60 acres in total - 37 acres north of Carlsbad Village Drive and 24 acres south of the roadway.

For more information, contact Mike Grim at (760) 602-4623