The owner of the Carlsbad Strawberry Company is speaking out about the controversial Agua-Hedionda development plan in hopes that residents in the area will not try to overturn a recent vote to develop the area.
“The 85-15 plan is a good plan. It’s good for my family, it’s good for continuing strawberry farming in this community and it’s good for Carlsbad,” said owner Jimmy Ukegawa. “It’s that simple.”
The project, a fancy outdoor shopping center slated for 2016 construction, overlooks the Agua Hedionda Lagoon where the Carlsbad strawberry fields once grew. The shopping center will now be built on about 30 acres, leaving some 170-acres of the fields preserved, according to the developer.
Developer Rick Caruso said he plans nature trails, amphitheaters, places for people to enjoy the view and an outdoor classroom. The retail portion of the project would include a "farm-to-table" restaurant.
The developer was able to bypass the special election process after collecting enough signatures from Carlsbad residents in favor of the project.
If the council hadn't approved the project, it would have been put it on a special elections ballot, or they could have delayed the decision.
Citizens for North County is pushing for a special election on the project after the group says the center will “change the look and character of Carlsbad forever.”
The group says all of their signature gatherers are volunteers and are hoping to get 10,000 signatures to make it possible for people living in Carlsbad to vote on the project.
A ballot measure in Carlsbad could cost between $450,000 and $550,000, a city spokeswoman said.
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"I think that the people of Carlsbad need to vote on this. I think the city council's fair, but I also believe that Caruso is underestimating the people that don't agree with this, and I say, 'Time to meet the family,'" said Carlsbad resident Sue Igoe.
The project got before the City Council for a vote without the typical extensive environmental review, known as CEQA. The process allows for a substantial public input and often involves concessions or mitigations to be made by the developer.
The group opposed to the shopping center will need to get 10 percent of Carlsbad's registered voters signatures by Sept. 24th to qualify for that special election.
