A proposal to ease up development restrictions in The Village was supported Thursday night by a 4-0 vote of the Carlsbad’s Design Review Board according to a Barbara Henry story in the North County Times.
The proposed overhaul of building regulations aims to improve business conditions in the Village and encourage more multifamily residential structures atop retail shops, said Debbie Fountain, the city’s housing and redevelopment director. . . Known for its cosy shops and tree-lined streets, the Village area is centered around Carlsbad Village Drive and State Street. Though famed for its charm, the area hasn’t been a retail powerhouse of late and the city wants to improve sales tax figures. The conflict has been how to improve the area without sacrificing its character.
Unfortunately, easing parking requirements, increasing residential density, and allowing taller buildings isn’t necessarily a good thing for the long-term health of The Village in our mostly uninformed opinion. What is needed most is for the City to build one (or more) public parking structures with spaces that can be shared by all the downtown businesses. But then all that money was probably spent on The Crossings.
[Link: North County Times]
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