Workshop to Gather Input from Barrio Community Members

City of Carlsbad residents, property owners and business will have a chance to provide input about the future of the city’s Barrio area during a workshop Thursday, March 10, 6 p.m., at the City of Carlsbad Senior Center, 799 Pine Ave. “This workshop will give us insight in to what the community wants for the Barrio’s future,” said David de Cordova, one of the project managers for the city’s general plan update. “Information gathered at this meeting will bring us one step closer to realizing the community’s vision for the future of Carlsbad.” Workshop participants will discuss the following topics:

• Historic and cultural significance of the Barrio
• Businesses and services the neighborhood would like in the area
• How many housing units can be built in the area
• Revitalizing and beautifying the Barrio
• Transportation to and around the Barrio, including by cars, bikes, walking and public transportation

Established in the 1920s, the Barrio is one of Carlsbad’s first neighborhoods and includes several locally recognized historic buildings, businesses and sites, including the Barrio Museum, Ramirez House and Mission Santiago.  The area, located in the northwestern portion of the city, borders Oak Avenue to the north, Tamarack Avenue to the south, Interstate 5 to the east and the railroad tracks to the west. The meeting is part of the city’s general plan update, which will serve as the city’s long-range blueprint for future development, growth, infrastructure and environmental management. When the general plan is complete, it will address neighborhood revitalization, community design and livability and will provide the policy framework to ensure Carlsbad’s long-term sustainability in city neighborhoods, such as the Barrio, de Cordova added. In addition to the Barrio workshop, the city will hold a number of public meetings over the next two years to obtain input on the general plan, which is expected to go to the City Council for approval in 2013. Last year, as part of the general plan update, the Carlsbad City Council adopted the Carlsbad Community Vision, which articulates what the community feels is important for the future quality of life in the city. The vision is a culmination of a year and a half of effort by the Envision Carlsbad Citizens’ Committee and community members who participated in an extensive public input process. Now the city is putting the results of all that effort to work by revising the city’s General Plan and other important documents, such as the Zoning Ordinance and the Local Coastal Program, to ensure those documents are aligned with the community’s vision. “The updated general plan will mark a historic shift in the city’s 59-year life span and will focus on how to maintain a quality of life for the residents who live in the city now that Carlsbad is nearing buildout,” said de Cordova. The Envision Carlsbad Citizens’ Committee will continue to guide the general plan update through its technical steps to ensure that the final documents hold to the Carlsbad Community Vision. The vision articulates nine core values that the community feels are important for the city’s future: 

• Small town feel, beach community character and connectedness
• Open space and the natural environment
• Access to recreation and active, healthy lifestyles
• Local economy, business diversity and tourism
• Walking, biking, public transportation and connectivity
• Sustainability
• History, the arts and cultural resources
• High quality education and community services
• Neighborhood revitalization, community design and livability

Light refreshments will be provided. Activities for children ages 3 and up will be available.