"F West is an approximately 3.8-acre parcel that will be separated into three planning areas and provide native habitat preservation and enhancement, development of public trails, visitor-serving commercial uses, and, most importantly, is designed for future adaptability." That's how David Gatzke, vice president of development at H.G. Fenton Co., described the western edge of Planning Area F to the California Coastal Commission, as KPBS reported.
The Oct. 8 vote cleared the way for townhomes, and it also kept a few acres along the coast side of the site mostly open in case Carlsbad Boulevard or the South Carlsbad State Beach campground has to move inland. This fall the road is already getting attention. Crews are setting boulders below the bluff, and the city is studying cheaper options than the original plan to move part of the road inland. The Ponto parcel and the boulevard are now one planning question.
The Coastal Commission voted 7-4 at the Oceanside Civic Center after about five hours of discussion. The Coast News counted 93 speakers, 41 in person and 52 remote, and most of them opposed housing on the 11.1-acre property. The vote approved land-use changes that allow 120 rental townhomes near South Ponto Beach. It did not authorize construction.
According to the Commission staff report, the homes would sit on a residential portion of about 7 acres, and none of staff's suggested modifications affect that part of the site. Sources give different counts for affordable units. The staff report lists 18. KPBS, in a story it corrected on Oct. 16, reported 24.
The background goes back decades. The Coast News reported that the Commission rejected an earlier Ponto development plan in 2010. The land stayed a nonresidential reserve under the 1993 Poinsettia Shores Master Plan until residential and commercial designations were approved in 2016. H.G. Fenton bought the property in September 2022 for less than $8 million.
Commission staff recommended nine suggested modifications, and the report says that together they reduce how intensively the western part of the site can be developed. The staff report puts that area at about 3 acres. Gatzke described F West as about 3.8 acres. The staff report gives two reasons for the reduction: better protection for sensitive habitat, and room for long-range planning around "the potential inland relocation of Carlsbad Boulevard and/or South Carlsbad State Beach Campground."
Here's how the three districts break down:
| District | Where it sits | What's allowed |
|---|---|---|
| District 1 | Eastern part of the western area | Up to 3,000 square feet of pedestrian-oriented, visitor-serving commercial space, such as a small market or restaurant that can serve residents and campground users |
| District 2 | Westernmost edge, next to Carlsbad Boulevard and the state campground | Removable at-grade features only, such as pavers, fire pits, food and beverage carts and surfboard-rental stands |
| District 3 | All sensitive habitat and its buffers | Habitat restoration and public trails, protected by a recorded deed restriction |
District 2 is the key piece. Removable structures let people use the land now, and in the staff report's words that does not foreclose "future inland relocation options for critical public infrastructure such as Carlsbad Boulevard and the South Carlsbad State Beach Campground." The report says both the city and the property owner support all of the modifications.
Carlsbad Boulevard already needs work. After a geotechnical report recommended emergency stabilization for part of the bluff north of the Las Encinas Creek bridge, the city declared a local emergency on Sept. 9 to speed up the work. The city's Oct. 9 construction update says crews are delivering boulders that weigh two to six tons each, and a crane lowers them from the roadside to the beach. The city posted a video of the process.
For anyone who uses this stretch, here's what the city's update says to expect:
The city says the work protects the road ahead of what may be strong El Niño conditions.
The boulders are a short-term fix. The longer-term question is the one the Ponto districts were drawn around. In his Oct. 15 update, Carlsbad's City Manager said the section of Carlsbad Boulevard between Solamar Drive and Island Way "might be under threat from rising sea levels in future years." Several years ago the city received a possible solution that would move part of the road east, away from the ocean.
Here's how far that idea has gone:
The new step is a search for cheaper approaches. The City Manager wrote that he wants to learn whether "less costly options" could protect the roadway, keep coastal access and address expected coastal hazards. The city is updating its cost estimates and expects to finish the analysis in late 2027, when staff will present findings and alternatives to the Council.
That one-mile study is separate from the larger three-mile South Carlsbad coastline concept. On its South Carlsbad Coastline page, the city says the Council has not directed staff to move ahead with preliminary design and engineering or further community engagement for that wider corridor.
So the Ponto districts keep open an option that the city itself has not committed to. If the late-2027 analysis favors a cheaper approach that keeps the road where it is, District 2 stays a strip of fire pits and surf-rental stands. If the city decides to move the road, that edge of the site is still available.
Most of the Oct. 8 testimony focused on keeping the land as open space. People for Ponto says it has gathered more than 20,000 petition signatures and messages of support, according to The Coast News. The group says North Carlsbad has 10 coastal parks west of Interstate 5 totaling about 37 acres, while South Carlsbad has none. It proposed a six-acre park in the Ponto neighborhood. Co-founder Michael Sebahar told KPBS that for the closest home along the coast west of the railroad, the nearest park is 2.2 miles away.
The city measures park needs by quadrant, not by neighborhood. According to The Coast News, the city's Growth Management Monitoring report found that all four quadrants exceed Carlsbad's standard of three acres of community park or special-use parkland per 1,000 residents. KPBS reported that the city told commissioners the property is privately owned and that designating it as parkland would not guarantee a park gets built. Eric Lardy, the city's assistant director of community development, said state laws such as SB 330 can limit the city's ability to reduce zoning on a residential site.
Several commissioners, including those who voted yes, said a park decision belongs to the City Council more than the Commission. H.G. Fenton said in a statement that it looks forward to building, and residents told KPBS they will keep pushing for a park.
The project goes back to Carlsbad for two more steps. The city's Local Coastal Program update page says revisions made by the Commission return to the City Council for approval. Under the state regulation, a conditional certification takes effect only after the local governing body formally accepts the Commission's modifications and the Commission's Executive Director finds that action legally adequate and reports it to the Commission. The project itself also needs City Council approval.
No date has been set. The Oct. 20 City Council agenda did not include Planning Area F, and no hearing for it had been posted as of mid-October. Until the Council acts, the site stays what KPBS photographed on the day of the vote, an open parcel between South Carlsbad Boulevard and I-5 where people walk their dogs.
Here's the calendar so far: revetment work through late 2026, a Council hearing on Planning Area F that hasn't been scheduled, and the city's road analysis in late 2027.
If you live near Ponto or along the Carlsbad Boulevard corridor and want to talk through how these decisions could affect your home's location over the next few years, the Ken Follis & Sharon Robinson Group follows these hearings closely and would be glad to help. Contact Us any time.
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Sharon Robinson | CA DRE# 01384726
