California Coastal Commission approves Carlsbad plan for 120 homes near Ponto Beach
The California Coastal Commission voted 7-4 Thursday to approve Carlsbad's land-use plan amendment clearing the way for 120 townhomes and commercial development on 11 acres near Ponto Beach, land that organizers with People for Ponto had hoped would become a public park. Developer H.G. Fenton Co. says 24 of the units will be affordable three- and four-bedroom homes.
Dozens of residents spoke against the plan, citing nearly 20,000 petition signatures for a park and pointing to the lack of public green space in South Carlsbad compared with the city's northern half. Four commissioners, including Chair Meagan Harmon and Vice Chair Caryl Hart, sided with them, with Hart warning that once developed, the land is gone for good.
Other commissioners insisted the vote wasn't actually a decision between a park and houses, just an amendment to the local coastal program, and that creating a park wasn't theirs to decide anyway. The land's residential and commercial zoning was approved by the same commission back in 2016; Thursday's vote just cleared the last procedural hurdle for Carlsbad to proceed.
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