A special Encinitas City Council meeting to discuss the future of the former Pacific View Elementary School site has been scheduled for 6:00 p.m. this Wednesday evening, January 29, at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive.

The meeting’s only agenda item reads:

Discussion of the Pacific View site with the Encinitas Arts, Culture and Ecology Alliance (EACEA) as it pertains to short- and long-term uses, planning strategies, and future working agreements.

Recommended Action: Staff recommends that the City Council provide direction to staff regarding how to proceed with short- and long-term uses for the site, planning strategies and future working agreements.

Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear told SavePacificView that the meeting site was moved from City Hall to this more informal setting to better facilitate discussion and public participation. The meeting will include Encinitas City Councilmembers and representatives of EACEA.

The non-profit EACEA has been working on a provisional basis to transform the former elementary school into a cultural center after being chosen by the Encinitas City Council in September, 2015 to administer the site. That agreement was incrementally extended through December 19, 2019 and was replaced by a 90-day Exclusive Negotiating Agreement that same day.

There has been mounting public questioning and frustration during the past few years about the perceived lack of progress in transforming the Pacific View site into its intended use as an arts center.

The Agenda Report for Wednesday’s meeting says that “Staff recommends hiring a consultant, to conduct a needs assessment that identifies needs or gaps between current conditions, and desired conditions or wants of the community, that can be accommodated at Pacific View which are compatible with the zoning.”

The 157-page report can be downloaded here, and more meeting information can be found on the city’s website.