Supporters of a proposed 26-acre development on the site of the strawberry fields adjacent to Interstate 5 announced Wednesday that they submitted 20,000 petition signatures in a bid to force the Carlsbad City Council to take action on the plan or place it before voters.
Developer Rick Caruso of Caruso Affiliated has proposed setting aside around 85 percent of the property for open space and building shops, restaurants and a movie theater on the remainder of the land, which overlooks the Agua Hedionda Lagoon.
He said the family-owned strawberry-growing operation on the property would continue, and that his firm would add picnic areas and walking trails to an area that’s now generally inaccessible to the public.
“I am honored by the trust the community has placed in the Agua Hedionda 85/15 Plan and the overwhelmingly positive response it has received,” Caruso said.
“We have spent nearly three years getting to know the character of Carlsbad and the people who love and cherish their community,” he said. “In hundreds of community meetings with thousands of residents, we have developed a plan that seamlessly fits with the fabric of Carlsbad. And, now, the voters have shown strong support for the 85/15 Plan.”
Nearly 9,800 valid signatures are required to force the council to take action regarding the project. The county Registrar of Voters Office has 30 days to determine whether the Caruso signature-gathering effort was sufficient.
— City News Service
