Encinitas Municipal Code § 6.2 Assessment and Recommendations

Of infrastructure within the Specific Plan area, upgrades are most needed in two areas: drainage and surface improvements.

A. Drainage

Development has occurred over the existing flood conveyance known as Mozart Creek. Future development that would impact runoff requires study to determine the extent of storm drainage impact. In addition, the majority of the area sheet flows across the surface and collects in the streets. Storm water quality compliance will be a challenge although any major redevelopment effort must incorporate a storm drain solution and storm water management measures as required in Municipal Code Chapter 20.08.

Overall, current storm drain provisions in the Specific Plan area are inadequate. It is recommended that more detailed study of the storm drain and its tributary areas must be undertaken so that an adequate drainage system can be designed and installed to replace the current, virtually non-existent system. This type of study should focus on identifying the need and capacity for additional storm drains within the area in order to resolve the flooding which occurs during wet weather.

B. Surface Improvements

Regarding surface improvements, there are several places in the Specific Plan area where the curb and pathway abruptly jog to one side a distance of two-to-five feet. The jog in the curb affects parking, drainage, and sight distance. Implementation is recommended primarily for the ROW improvements shown for Specific Plan area streets shown on Figures 17-21 in Chapter 5, Circulation and Parking. Major street improvements will also be subject to storm water management measures required in Municipal Code Chapter 20.08. Road improvement projects creating or significantly redeveloping more than 5,000 square feet of new pavement are considered "priority projects" for purposes of storm water pollution control. Such priority projects are required to meet numerically-sized treatment criteria for the treatment of storm water runoff. While it is unknown at this time which street improvement projects might trigger the priority project requirements, if any, any such project will incorporate appropriate storm water best management practices, or BMP's, such as natural and/or mechanical filtration systems.

C. Alleyway Improvements

The alleys in the Specific Plan area are public, but privately-maintained. Prior to the City's incorporation, the County of San Diego allowed the alleyways to be built below public standards and did not accept them for maintenance. City policy prohibits the alleys from being accepted for public maintenance until they are reconstructed to City standards. Construction of the alleys can be undertaken by the private property owners, the City, or a combination thereof when reconstruction takes place in accordance with City standards. Any construction or reconstruction by the City will need City Council approval.

As a result of this arrangement by the County, the alleys have deteriorated in some areas over the years due to inadequate maintenance. The poor condition of the alleys is exacerbated by the presence of subsurface water. Any permanent improvements to the alleys must include a solution to the subsurface drainage problem. The improvements themselves and engineering solution to the drainage problem will be expensive, and unlikely to be assumed by private property owners. In the past, the City Council offered a matching program to property owners to split the cost of the necessary improvements.

To become eligible for the matching program, a property owner must finance and agree to construct to City-adopted alleyscape plan specifications, a fair share portion of the alleyscape improvements associated with their property. Once the alley improvements are completed, the incentives granted may be applied to any future change is use, expansion of an existing use, or future redevelopment of the property. The City will encourage the improvements to the alleys in their entirety, rather than through incremental, project-by-project development.