Large-scale Encinitas housing proposal sets stage for 2021 cycle
The Encinitas Boulevard Apartments, a proposed housing development in Olivenhain, has sparked controversy among Encinitas residents. Some fear that the new housing will change the neighborhood’s character and cause traffic issues.
The project would add a 283-unit, seven-story apartment complex near Encinitas Boulevard and Rancho Santa Fe Road. Developer Randy Goodson has submitted several similar proposals since at least 2005.
In 2019, Goodson submitted another proposal and withdrew it that December over concerns about affordable housing laws and other “hurdles” he had to clear before approval, such as traffic studies. He reintroduced the project in both January and April 2020.
Goodson could not be reached for comment for this report.

“Rancho Santa Fe Road is the only through road and is wall to wall with commuter traffic in the mornings, even with the schools largely not in session,” said Dan Vaughn, the chair of Encinitas Residents for Responsible Development. “Adding that to traffic, a huge number will be commuting to the UTC area, and traffic from that intersection to I-5 is already backed up.”
Vaughn said he is also worried that a large housing complex in rural Olivenhain will “ruin the character of the neighborhood” and said the city should focus on projects close to public transportation, contributing fewer cars to traffic. Vaughn is also worried that the added traffic will slow down fire evacuations.
“People are scared that we’ll be trapped in a Paradise-like situation if a fire comes through,” he said.
While former Encinitas City Council member Lisa Shaffer said she was aware of the Goodson project, she did not have enough information to comment on it directly. In speaking about general housing issues and approaches in the city, Shaffer told the North Coast Current that Encinitas doesn’t have a specific look or feel because there’s already a diversity of housing in its communities, such as in Cardiff and Leucadia.
Instead of fighting high-density housing projects, Shaffer said, the community needs to work to ensure projects are well-designed.
There are ways to blend in and there are ways to build projects that are hideous, which is what people need to focus on.”
— Lisa Shaffer, former Encinitas City Council member
“There are ways to blend in and there are ways to build projects that are hideous, which is what people need to focus on,” Shaffer said.
When it comes to Olivenhain, Shaffer said, there is heavy traffic on Rancho Santa Fe Road already, and it’s not reasonable to expect a new project to fix existing problems. What a new project can do is mitigate for additional impacts.
High-density housing such as the Goodson proposal is possible through changes to Encinitas’ housing element — the portion of the city’s general plan that governs housing creation.
Under state law, cities must adopt and update a housing element every eight years. Cities must also designate a certain number of housing units as affordable housing. In San Diego County, the San Diego Association of Governments determines how much affordable housing each city must provide.
In 2013, Encinitas voters approved Proposition A, which required voter approval of changes to the city’s planning and zoning policies. Residents were worried that a future City Council would allow higher density housing, which they believed would change the Encinitas’ small-town community feel and allow the city to listen to developer interests over residents.
In 2016 and 2018, the same fears led voters to reject ballot measures to amend the housing element for that eight-year housing cycle, leaving Encinitas out of compliance with state law.
As a result, tenants and developers sued the city. A judge decided to preempt Prop. A, suspending it until 2021 and allowing Encinitas to implement a compliant housing law without voter approval. As part of the new housing element, the City Council upzoned properties, including the site of the Goodson project, allowing for greater housing density.
Encinitas’ affordable housing woes are far from over, however.
The next housing cycle begins in 2021, and state law requires Encinitas to pass another housing policy. In order to avoid reliving 2016 and 2018, Encinitas sued supporters of Proposition A, asking a judge to overturn the measure so the city can approve the new policy without putting it on a ballot. In March 2020, the city named the California Department of Housing and Community Development in its action to get judicial guidance on the issue, according to a city statement.
We need to provide the opportunity for a range of housing types that are accessible to all income levels so that we continue to have a vibrant and vital community.”
— Catherine Blakespear, Encinitas mayor
This cycle, the city submitted its housing policy early for approval by the state. In August, the state’s Housing and Community Development department sent a letter to the city of Encinitas, saying the city needs to revise the new housing plan to include realistic affordable housing numbers; the plan overestimated the number of affordable housing units in several projects.
The Coast News reported that the city would likely have to increase housing density through more upzoning, which would increase the maximum density for some properties. But because the latest housing policy was just passed in 2019, Encinitas could reuse some projects used on the 2019 policy because they haven’t been constructed yet.
Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear was unavailable for an interview, but she told the North Cost Current that Encinitas needs to comply with state laws “to avoid wasting taxpayers’ money in lawsuits we can’t win.”
“We need to provide the opportunity for a range of housing types that are accessible to all income levels so that we continue to have a vibrant and vital community,” Blakespear said.
Ethan Edward Coston is a local freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter @Ethan4Books.

(Story updated 01/01/2021 at 12:55 p.m.)
(Story updated 12/31/2020 at 8:30 p.m.)
encinitas current, cardiff current
I can’t believe anyone would think this project would benefit our community. I live off of El Camino del Norte and was evacuated during the last big fire. Are the builders aware that there is one way our of here? It’s already hard to get to I-5 because of traffic in the morning and in the afternoon.
Can’t they find a spot to build a project like this closer to the freeway so that our small roads aren’t overtaken? Building wider roads isn’t the answer as we have many bike riders, horseback riders and people walking their dogs. Bad idea….
If so many residents oppose this project, then why was our Mayor just re-elected? She is encouraging development like this throughout our city. We all had a chance to elect officials who would stop acting as if Encinitas is rootless community with no sense of self or place to defend. So why didn’t we?
It’s been clear ever since Blakespear and the current City Council took over that they are not listening to our concerns, they are more interested in pocketing developer money. They all, especially Blakespear, take money from outside interests.
Multiple Cities have joined forces to sue the State to change their ridiculous housing requirements. It’s time for Encinitas to join them.
It’s also time to recall Blakespear, now that voters know more about what the current government is planning, I think many of those who voted shockingly to re-elect her will join in on any recall campaign.
Blakespear is a danger to our way of life and she has actually come out and said that she supports density in Coastal areas, which is an awful idea and the opposite of what is needed.
Recall Blakespear
Ideally, we could use public land or donated land that is near public transit and served by it every 15 minutes during rush hour. Without that kind of mass transit, high density development is inappropriate because a key intent of the California state Density Bonus Law (DBL) mandates is to reduce Green House Gasses (GHG), by reducing vehicle use. It includes the reduction of parking requirements as part of the strategy to combat GHG. Less vehicle trips, and good public mass transit options go hand in hand. I can’t comment directly on this specific project. However, I can add that I applaud providing affordable housing to provide homes for everyone, not just wealthy people. Diverse types of housing strengthen communities by allowing people to live near the places they work; people can be more engaged in where they are working and living and we reduce GHG. It’s a triple “win”, when done the right way.
Blakespear, the Encinitas city council and this judge have undermined and disenfranchised the voters of Encinitas who voted for Proposition A. I can only think that Blakespear’s re-election was the result of voter ignorance. Encinitas needs to join the other city’s suing the state for their illegal demands on a city to build houses not approved by the voters. In addition Blakespear and any city council members that voted for the housing plan need to be recalled as they cannot be trusted to represent or implement the will of the voters.
We listened to the developer call on the Encinitas project, and they have no good proposals for an emergency fire exit or traffic. When I drive by the proposed location it looks like a disaster waiting too happen as it is a small area and already congested. The mayor, Encinitas city council and the judge are 100% responsible for this disaster waiting to happen as well as undermining the voters of Encinitas.