The Home Depot Specific Plan evolved after conducting extensive
environmental analysis and design study. The results of these efforts
culminated in a land use plan which satisfies the goals and objectives
of the City of Encinitas. In addition to the Home Depot home improvement
center and garden shop the Specific Plan provides for a wetlands enhancement
program along Encinitas Creek, restoration of natural vegetation on
graded slope areas and specific guidelines for the future development
of Planning Area 4.
The Home Depot Master Land Use Plan and Project Summary are
shown on Exhibit II-1. The Master Land Use Plan divides the Specific
Plan area into planning areas and illustrates the intended circulation
pattern. The Project Summary identifies land uses and acreages for
each of the planning areas. The Specific Plan includes three land
use designations: Home Improvement Center, Commercial-Light Industrial
and Open Space.
A quantitative description of each land use designation is provided below. More specific details, including land use regulations and design guidelines are presented in Chapter III.
 |
1.
Home
Improvement Center
This classification is intended for the Home Depot home improvement
center in Planning Area 1. The approximately 9.7 acre site is located
to the southwest of the Encinitas Creek wetlands open space area along
the east side of El Camino Real. The site includes approximately four
acres of landscaped parking area with spaces for a minimum of 531
cars. The 27,300 square-foot outdoor garden center and loading area
are located on the east side of the 102,200 square-foot, single-story
building. The Home Improvement Center designation accounts for about
18 percent of the Specific Plan area.
2.
Commercial-Light
Industrial
The Commercial-Light Industrial land use category is intended for the developable portions of Planning Area 4. The planning area includes approximately 2.5 acres which are potentially developable. This area represents about 5 percent of the Specific Plan area. The areas of the Specific Plan generally considered suitable for development are shown on Exhibit II-2, Allowable Development Areas. Any development within Planning Area 4 will require Design Review and will also require additional project-level environmental review. A wide variety of commercial and light industrial land uses which may be appropriate for the planning area are listed in the Land Use Regulations section of Chapter III. In addition to Design Review, some uses also require the approval of a major or minor Conditional Use Permit.
 |
3.
Open
Space
The Specific Plan recognizes three open space land use categories.
They are Wetlands Open Space, Upland Open Space and Refined Open Space.
Approximately 17.9 acres of Wetlands Open Space are found along Encinitas
Creek in Planning Areas 3 and 4. Upland Open Space located in Planning
Areas 2 and 4 consists of about 25.3 acres generally located on the
slopes to the south of Encinitas Creek. Approximately 1.1 acre of
Refined Open Space is located in Planning Area 1. The total open space
area considered by the Specific Plan is about 44.3 acres or 80 percent
of the Specific Plan area. Fractional area changes may occur to the
open space categories as Planning Area 4 is developed. For more details
regarding open space within the Specific Plan see Section F, Open
Space, of this chapter.
The Specific Plan area is located at the southeast corner of
El Camino Real and Olivenhain Road. While the property within the
Specific Plan along Olivenhain Road is within the City of Encinitas,
the Olivenhain Road right-of-way lies in the City of Carlsbad. Olivenhain
Road is designated a Prime Arterial. During the period of time in
which this document was being prepared an alignment study for Olivenhain
Road was being jointly prepared by the Cities of Encinitas and Carlsbad.
The future design and precise location of Olivenhain Road will be
determined by the alignment study and final improvement plans. No
development is proposed along Olivenhain Road in conjunction with
the Specific Plan. However, it is anticipated that future development
in the northern portion of Planning Area 4 will take access from Olivenhain
Road.
The portion of El Camino Real adjacent to the Specific Plan
area is within the unincorporated area of San Diego County. Widening
of El Camino Real in conjunction with the development of the Home
Depot facilities will occur within the City of Encinitas.
The relationship of the Specific Plan area to the regional circulation
system is shown by the Vicinity Map on Exhibit I-1. El Camino Real
intersects La Costa Avenue to the north and Encinitas Boulevard to
the south. Both La Costa Avenue and Encinitas Boulevard are east-west
corridors which access Interstate 5 to the west and Rancho Santa Fe
Road to the east. Access to State Highway 78, a major North County
east-west circulation corridor, is made by continuing northward on
El Camino Real.
1.
Planning
Area Circulation Streets
The Circulation Plan for the Specific Plan area is illustrated
by Exhibit II-3. Access for each of the Specific Plan planning areas
is described as follows:
Planning Area 1: All access to Planning Area 1 is taken from
El Camino Real. The primary entrance to the Home Depot site will be
via a signalized, 62-foot wide, 5-lane driveway directly across the
street from the existing Woodley Road intersection with El Camino
Real. A 2-lane, left-turn pocket with raised curbs will be located
within the El Camino Real landscaped median. Secondary right-turn
in, right-turn out driveways, 30 and 39 feet in width will be located
at the north and south ends of the site. While the northerly entrance
will allow customer access to-and-from the Home Depot parking lot,
the southerly entrance is primarily designed for commercial deliveries
to the Home Depot and for fire and other emergency vehicle access.
This driveway allows direct access to the loading area at the southeast
corner of the building without the need to interfere with customer
traffic in the main parking lot. Driveway access is provided on all
four sides of the Home Depot building.
Planning Area 2: Planning Area 2, an open space parcel, is located
adjacent to El Camino Real. Access rights to El Camino Real from Planning
Area 2 will be relinquished. Planning Area 2 can be accessed from
the east via Scott Place, an existing cul-de-sac public street and
from the north via the northerly Home Depot driveway.
Planning Area 3: Access to this open space planning area will
be through Planning Area 1 from the signalized intersection at El
Camino Real and Woodley Road.
Planning Area 4: Primary access is expected to be from Olivenhain
Road. Preliminary discussions with federal agencies indicate that
roadways will not be allowed across the wetlands area of Encinitas
Creek. Precise access will be determined when development plans are
prepared for Planning Area 4.
 |
2.
Street
Improvements
The Circulation Plan for the Home Depot Specific Plan consists
of two public streets. They are El Camino Real and Olivenhain Road.
Cross sections for each of these streets are shown on Exhibit II-4.
Design criteria for these public streets are described below:
El Camino Real: This street is designated an Augmented Prime
Arterial. The intent of the augmented roadway designation is to provide
a means of increasing the capacity of a given arterial by maximizing
the utilization of the basic lane configuration. Such augmentation
can range from simply adding lanes at intersections to adding or expanding
a median and/or other mid-block measures to improve traffic flow and
reduce side friction. El Camino Real will be widened from the existing
easterly half-right-of-way width of 45 feet to 68 feet within a 150-foot
right-of-way. A raised and landscaped median will vary from 4 feet
at the left turn pocket to 28 feet at the widest point. The street
widening is based upon the County's roadway classification plus an
additional 5 feet for a bicycle lane. The 8-foot parkway includes
a 5-foot sidewalk for pedestrian circulation.
Olivenhain Road: The City of Carlsbad is currently studying
a proposed realignment of Olivenhain Road as it approaches El Camino
Real. Home Depot will be required to participate in the cost of this
improvement. The right-of-way design width for a City of Carlsbad
Prime Arterial is 126 feet with a median of 18 feet, a traveled way
between median and curb of 44 feet, and a parkway of 10 feet. If bike
lanes of 5 feet are required, the traveled way increases to 49 feet.
 |
The public facilities described in this section are necessary
to accommodate the projected development of the Home Depot Specific
Plan. The engineering details and actual phasing of these facilities
will be determined later through the implementation of this adopted
Specific Plan.
1.
Water
The entire Home Depot Specific Plan area is located within the
Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD). Currently a 12-inch steel
water line exists along El Camino Real. This line will be upgraded
to a 16-inch water line with an 8-inch loop line to serve Planning
Area 1. The domestic water service and the fire service for the Home
Depot building in Planning Area 1 will be provided through connections
to the water mains in El Camino Real. Metered flows will be used for
domestic supply. An unmetered service will be used for the building
fire sprinkler system and the on-site fire hydrants. An existing 12-inch
line in Olivenhain Road will provide water service to the north portion
of Planning Area 4. No additional transmission mains, pump stations
or reservoir storage facilities will be necessary to serve the Specific
Plan area. The water system is shown on Exhibit II-5.
 |
2.
Sewer
The Specific Plan area is not presently served by a wastewater
management agency. However, the entire Specific Plan area is within
the sphere of the Leucadia County Water District. The annexation into
the district of Planning Area 1 will be required prior to the development
of the Home Depot building.
Planning Area 4 must also be annexed to the district prior to
development. Open Space Planning Areas 2 and 3 will not be annexed
to the district.
Currently two sewer mains, an 8-to-10 inch line and a 12-to-15
inch line, run in parallel along El Camino Real. An 18-inch main runs
along Olivenhain Road. Sewer main locations are shown on Exhibit II-6.
 |
3.
Police
Service
The City of Encinitas contracts with the San Diego County Sheriff's
Department for law enforcement services. The Encinitas Sheriff's Station
located at 175 North El Camino Real serves the Cities of Encinitas
and Solana Beach. Currently, there are 14 patrol units serving the
City of Encinitas. Deputies assigned to other stations can also be
called to the area when needed. Beat Number 223 will serve the Specific
Plan area. The average response time for this beat is 5.9 minutes
for priority calls and 14.3 minutes for non-priority calls. The current
ratio of deputies assigned to the City of Encinitas is one deputy
per 1,903 residents.
4.
Fire
Protection
The Encinitas Fire Protection District provides emergency first
response services to the Specific Plan area. First service is currently
provided from Station No. 4, located approximately 1.8 miles from
the site at 2011 Village Park Way. Average response time to the project
area is four to six minutes. Station No. 4 is equipped with one engine
company, one ladder truck, one brush engine and one EMT ambulance.
The backup station for the Specific Plan area is located at 415 Second
Street in Encinitas.
Paramedics are not available from Station No. 4. The nearest
paramedic service is located at 1015 Devonshire Drive, next to Scripps
Memorial Hospital. Anticipated paramedic response time to the site
is approximately five minutes. The Encinitas Fire Protection District
has an automatic aid agreement with the Cities of Carlsbad (La Costa
Avenue Station), Solana Beach, Del Mar, San Marcos and the Rancho
Santa Fe Fire District. Implementation of projects within the Specific
Plan area will require the developers to contribute fire service fees
to the Encinitas Fire Protection District.
5.
Gas
and Electric
The Specific Plan area is within the service area of the San
Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E). The San Diego Gas and
Electric Company currently provides gas and electrical services to
the developed portions of the City of Encinitas and its sphere of
influence. Planning Area 4 of the Specific Plan currently contains
a 150-foot wide SDG&E utility easement for natural gas and overhead
electric lines. The easement is located along the southwesterly boundary
of Planning Area 4. All gas and electrical service hookups will be
taken from street right-of-way locations.
6.
Schools
The Home Depot Specific Plan area is located within two public
school districts. Primary education for kindergarten through grade
six is provided by the Encinitas Union Elementary School District.
The San Dieguito Union High School District provide schooling for
students in grades seven through twelve. School fees will be paid
prior to occupancy for development in Planning Areas 1 and 4 as required
by state law.
For purposes of this discussion, drainage within the Specific
Plan area is divided into three categories. They are the storm drain
system, flood control measures, and nuisance water treatment. The
Specific Plan drainage system is illustrated on Exhibit II-7.
 |
1.
Storm
Drain System
In Planning Area 1 storm drain collection will be accomplished
by a combination of surface drainage and a system of storm drain inlets
and culverts. All surface drainage on the Home Depot lot will be routed
to a series of diversion structures and oil/water separators. Treated
effluent from the separators is then routed to a nuisance water treatment
wetlands area for further treatment prior to entering Encinitas Creek.
Runoff from the northern slopes of the open space lot in Planning
Area 2 which drain toward Encinitas Creek will be collected in a separate
drainage system and discharged through an energy dissipator into Encinitas
Creek.
2.
Flood
Control Measures
Several flood control measures are being considered in the area
of the Specific Plan. A system of detention basins upstream from the
site have been installed. Presently one more basin is being considered
in conjunction with the Olivenhain Road widening program. This last
upstream basin will detain storm flows to a level that could be accommodated
by the existing bridge under El Camino Real just south of the Olivenhain
Road intersection. In conjunction with this approach will be the need
to clean out silt which has collected upstream of the bridge. Periodic
maintenance will also be necessary to assure that the bridge remains
clear of silt and debris. Exhibit II-8 illustrates three floodplain
conditions. The outer-most floodplain boundaries represent the pre-1982,
100-year event prior to residential development along Encinitas Creek
and prior to the installation of the two up-stream detention basins.
The middle set of boundaries illustrate the limits of the 100-year
event with the Home Depot improvements in place. The inner-most boundaries
show the limits of the 100-year event when the third up-stream detention
basin is in place. The current 100-year floodplain is shown on Exhibit
I-3.
 |
The 100-year floodplain water levels for Encinitas Creek
adjacent to the Home Depot development area range from 81.5 feet to
82.0 feet according to the ASL Consulting Engineers EIR drainage study
dated June 15, 1993. The site grade for the Home Depot building pad
and adjoining parking lot will be raised sufficiently to eliminate
the risk of flooding the structure and parking lot. The finished floor
elevation for the Home Depot pad is to be 92 feet. The parking lot
elevations will range from 92.0 feet at the building to a low of about
83.0 feet adjacent to the wetlands area. Parking lot grades shall
be kept as low as possible while still maintaining sufficient grade
to provide positive drainage to the creek. This will reduce to a minimum
the amount of fill needed within the floodplain area. A portion of
the floodplain will be excavated to provide a more suitable area for
wetlands revegetation. The excavated material will be used to raise
portions of the parking area above the anticipated flood level.
3.
Nuisance
Water Treatment
Commercial development significantly alters the characteristics
of storm runoff. Large paved parking areas collect motor oil and other
products associated with automobile usage. Landscaped areas contribute
fertilizers and pesticides. The accumulated impacts of such contaminants
can have a detrimental effect on downstream water courses. Other less
harmful materials such as silt, sand and ash tend to be transported
more quickly to natural water courses across the impervious paved
surfaces thereby adding to the problem of siltation of the stream
beds and downstream lagoons.
There are two basic objectives to be met. The first objective
is to treat the runoff from the Home Depot site to remove harmful
pollutants. The second objective is to minimize the amount of silt
and other solids which are deposited in Encinitas Creek as a result
of the project development.
Control of silt and other solids is a two-fold problem. The
first occurs during construction when grading is in progress and the
ground has been disturbed. Construction related silt will be controlled
through conventional desilting basins, silt fences and sandbagging.
Also, grading is proposed to be performed during the drier season
of the year. Long term control of silt and debris from the developed
site will be accomplished by the use of oil/water separators in conjunction
with a routine parking lot maintenance and sweeping program.
The oil/water separator system is designed to protect the adjacent
Encinitas Creek from the "first flush" storm runoff which typically
contains oils and other deposits from the pavement and other hard
surfaces. The system consists of oil interceptors similar to septic
tanks which separate the oily substances from the water. The oily
residue collects in the upper portion of the interceptors and is periodically
pumped out and removed to an approved disposal site. Sediment will
collect in the bottom of the interceptors and will also be pumped
out and removed. An oil/water separator is illustrated on Exhibit
II-9.
 |
First flush flows and other minor flows will pass through the separators. Treated effluent from the separators will then be routed to a nuisance water treatment wetlands area for further treatment prior to entering Encinitas Creek. These wetland treatment areas will contain marsh-type vegetation which has a capacity to treat contaminants in the water. A typical nuisance water treatment pond area is shown in section on Exhibit II-9. The Freshwater/Brackish Marsh plant palette is described in Chapter III, Section C. Larger storm runoff volumes will bypass the oil/water separators and go directly to the wetlands treatment area. Concrete overflow weirs are provided for major storm flows which exceed the holding capacity of the wetlands treatment area.
The Home Depot Specific Plan consists of approximately 55.4
acres, of which about 44.3 acres or 80 percent will remain in some
form of open space. The open space system serves two primary functions.
First, it acts as an aesthetic amenity to the community. Second, it
assures the preservation of significant environmental habitats.
Open space areas have been divided into three categories within
the Specific Plan: Wetlands Open Space, Upland Open Space, and Refined
Open Space. Open Space locations are illustrated on Exhibit II-10.
 |
1.
Wetlands
Open Space
The implementation of the Home Depot Specific Plan will result in the preservation of approximately 17.9 acres of wetlands open space. The wetlands habitat which occurs within the Specific Plan area is a result of the Encinitas Creek drainage system. Within the Specific Plan approximately 11.3 acres of wetlands open space is located in Planning Area 3 and 6.6 acres is located in Planning Area 4. For further details regarding the wetlands area, refer to the Wetlands Program described in Section D of Chapter III.
2.
Upland
Open Space
Areas designated as upland habitat open space within the Specific
Plan area are located on the westand north-facing slopes of Planning
Area 2, and the north-facing slopes of Planning Area 4. Approximately
25.3 acres will be placed in open space easements as a result of implementation
of the entire Specific Plan area. This will include 23.9 acres in
Planning Area 2 and 1.4 acres in Planning Area 4. These open space
slopes consist primarily of Chaparral vegetation.
3.
Refined
Open Space
Refined Open Space refers to areas which will be landscaped
and maintained in development areas of the Specific Plan. Such areas
include landscaped building and parking areas as well as landscaped
slopes but do not include native revegetated wetlands. Approximately
1.1 acres of refined open space will be provided through the development
of the Home Depot Specific Plan. Additional refined open space may
also be created with the development of Planning Area 4. Planning
Area 1 will include about 1.1 acres of refined open space. Development
of Planning Area 4 could potentially add up to 0.3 acres of refined
open space, depending on the size of the development area.
The hillside immediately south of the Home Improvement Center
located in the Upland Open Space area of Planning Area 2 will be contour-graded
to allow the Home Improvement Center to be located further to the
south, thereby reducing the amount of encroachment into the disturbed
wetlands area of Planning Area 1. An intensive planting program to
restore the chaparral habitat must be approved by the City prior to
commencement of grading operations. The final hillside configuration
is illustrated by Section A-A' on Exhibits 11-11 and 11-12.
 |
 |