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By
Barbara Henry
North County Times
October 21, 2007
CARLSBAD
---- The owners of a private boating club along the north side
of Agua Hedionda Lagoon are proposing to transform their
decades-old, low-key operation by adding a 26-unit, time-share
condominium complex.
But the proposal, which is slated to go before the city's
Planning Commission on Nov. 7, isn't making neighbors or even
city staff members very happy.
Neighbors say they think a
three-story condo complex would be completely out of character
for the quiet community made up of luxurious single-family
homes.
The city's Planning Department appears to agree. Staff members
are recommending that the Planning Commission deny the permit
that the project will need to proceed.
"The magnitude of the proposed building is not in the
same scale and character as the surrounding residential
neighborhood," a city staff report states.
Jim Courtney, who co-owns the 1-acre parcel along Adams Street
with business partner Michael Pfankuch, said he believes the
project works for the neighborhood and uses the best design
possible.
The proposed structure is compatible with his property's
unusual tourist zoning designation, yet it will look more like
a residence than a hotel so it will fit in with the
surrounding area, he said.
"We want to do something that's nice for the city and we
feel we've come up with a compatible project," he said.
A changing neighborhood
Courtney and Pfankuch are proposing to put a
40,500-square-foot time-share structure and a
17,000-square-foot underground parking garage on the site,
which is along the south side of Adams Street between Highland
and Park drives.
The time share would cater to people who want to stay in
Carlsbad longer than a few days, but would rather own a part
share in a condo building rather than paying for a hotel room,
Courtney said.
City staff members say the property, which is one of the few
areas along the lagoon with "residential tourist"
zoning, is permitted to contain time-share units as long as
the developers obtain a special city conditional use permit.
The question before the Planning Commission in November will
be whether this project ought to be granted a permit, given
its size when compared to the neighboring single-family homes,
said senior city planner Van Lynch.
The neighborhood wasn't always residential. Decades ago, the
boat-launching operation was the only thing around, city
records indicate. It dates back to the 1950s when Carlsbad was
incorporated.
Courtney and Pfankuch bought the land some 20 years ago and
created the Carlsbad Boat Club. In recent years, the club's
membership has ranged from 10 to 30 people, Courtney said.
"It's always been a low-key thing," he added.
"We've never advertised it."
In addition to the boat-launching capability, the property
contains a former restaurant building. That business, which
went by a number of different names over the years, closed in
the late 1990s. By then, some of the surrounding zoning had
changed and the houses started arriving.
The first home came in 1991. The last one? Well, it's going in
right now, and its owner isn't pleased with the time-share
plan.
Seeking compatibility
Glen Steward, who plans to move into his
now-under-construction, waterfront home just west of the boat
club site next year, said he opposes the time-share project
for many reasons. Among other things, he said, he doesn't want
to live next to a building where the occupants might change
every week and the vehicle traffic could be endless.
He's not the only one. Environmental attorney Todd Cardiff,
who's been hired by several property owners in the area to
fight the plans, said it's the sort of project no one would
want next door. Everything from its proposed roof-top
observation area ---- he calls it a "party deck"
---- to the lack of extra parking for boat trailers is going
to cause trouble, he said.
Meanwhile, a city staff report notes that the project slightly
exceeds the city's height limit, finds that the intensity of
the development is "incompatible" with the
neighborhood and declares that noise issues "could be
significant."
Asked what type of project could work on the parcel, Lynch
responded that a bed and breakfast business could be an option
under the site's current zoning.
But that's not what the landowners want to build --- the
zoning allows for time shares and that's what they want to do,
Courtney said. He adds that opponents' forecasts about parking
woes and partying behavior won't become reality. For one
thing, he said, the complex will have its own boats for the
vacationers to use so they won't have to bring watercraft with
them when they come to Carlsbad.
Ultimately, the decision on what happens next will be up to
the Planning Commission and the City Council. If they back the
plans, the landowners also will need to take the proposal to
the state Coastal Commission, which does a final review of
development plans in the coastal region.
Contact staff writer Barbara Henry at (760) 901-4072 or
bhenry@nctimes.com
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