Longtime Encinitas resident Garth Murphy expressed his enthusiastic support for the Pacific View Activation Plan during the City Council’s February 11 meeting. Murphy mentioned that he had recently joined the Encinitas Art, Culture and Ecology Alliance and offered the group’s services during the activation process. His remarks focused on his desire to maintain an emphasis on ecology in the site’s future public use.

A spirit of compromise and consensus was in the air as the next steps toward the envisioned use of the Pacific View property were decided by a unanimous City Council vote at its meeting last Wednesday evening.

Seemingly inspired by new Councilmember Catherine Blakespear’s successful appeal for better communication and finding common ground at the council’s previous meeting, Mayor Kristin Gaspar and Councilmember Mark Muir spoke plainly before the vote about what changes would need to be made to garner their support. After minimal back-and-forth, Councilmembers and Pacific View Activation Plan Subcommittee members Tony Kranz and Lisa Shaffer joined in to help forge the motion that resulted in Pacific View’s first 5-0 council approval.

Councilmember Kranz said that he was open to modifying the proposals to hasten the realization of the community’s plans for Pacific View, especially after the new Encinitas Community Park was initially off-limits to the public for 13 years while it struggled through various stages of development. His comments elicited applause from the nearly full house.

The essence of the subcommittee’s recommendations emerged intact, but some changes were made. For instance, instead of allotting $500,000 in unspent Pacific View financing costs toward its maintenance and development, approved instead was $75,000 for architectural plans and $20,000 for yearly upkeep. The $405,000 balance will go into the city’s general fund.

The subcommittee had suggested that the property be used for a “living museum or cultural center focusing on the local Encinitas arts community,” but at Gaspar’s suggestion, the definition was broadened to that of the original zoning ordinance: “arts, education and community gathering place with an emphasis on theaters, museums, education, outdoor sales/swap meets and park/recreation space.”

Gaspar also recommended that Pacific View tenants make their own improvements before moving in, thereby saving the city money.

The Activation Plan concerns the property’s initial use— planning for its final incarnation will wait until Encinitas revises its Arts Master Plan by March, 2016. Councilmember Muir remarked that getting it done sooner would make him feel better about the process, and Arts Administrator Jim Gilliam was asked if more funding could speed things up. Gilliam noted that much of the desired community outreach and “visioning” for Pacific View and other city-owned sites will occur as part of the master plan’s update.

Councilmember Blakespear mentioned that she had recently toured Pacific View for the first time and came away very impressed. “I thought the bones of the buildings were solid. The ceilings are high and there’s a lot of light and windows,” she observed. “The Mid-Century architecture of those 1950s buildings is cool [applause] and I really like that this plan involves keeping those things.”

Councilmember Shaffer noted that the subcommittee’s original idea of moving the site’s old 1880s schoolhouse from the southwest corner to the northeast corner of the property to increase its visibility has been withdrawn until more is known about how the parcel will be used.

Fourteen residents addressed the council, most in support of the plan. Jax Meyers and Garth Murphy encouraged the council to unite on Pacific View, an action that would represent a positive new phase in its political journey. Several representatives from arts and cultural organizations expressed interest in becoming involved on the site.

Al Rodbell opposed the “procedural due process” by which Pacific View was approved, preferring “substantive due process.” Bob Bonde was disappointed that the plan wasn’t based on “cultural tourism,” which he believes will make Pacific View more economically self-sustaining.

In the wake of the unprecedented unanimous decision, Kranz, whose efforts were crucial in obtaining the property mere days before it was slated to be auctioned off, was in high spirits. “I can hardly wait to get a set of plans made so that community groups can make proposals to put the meat on the bones of a classic old school building, so a new life of artful purpose can begin.”

Related news coverage:
February 12, 2015, The Coast News: Art, education take center stage as interim use for Pacific View site
February 12, 2015, Encinitas Advocate: Interim Pacific View plan approved
February 12, 2015, San Diego U-T: Encinitas moves on art museum plan

Inside Pacific View

Encinitas Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Gattinella (left) and Encinitas City Councilmember Tony Kranz inspected the city’s newly acquired Pacific View property on the morning of December 30, 2014. They discussed the condition and salvageability of the buildings, and informally brainstormed uses for them.

SavePacificView.org will stay on top of developments and send email updates when new Pacific View events occur. You’re also invited to stay up-to-date on Pacific View news by joining the SavePacificView.org email list here. Your name and email address will only be used by SavePacificView.org. The SavePacificView story as told by local media can be read here.

What are your Pacific View ideas? Click here to Share Your View!

The historic Pacific View property as it appeared before the City of Encinitas purchased it in 2014.