Being more-or-less a newbie resident of Carlsbad (9 months), I am
still in the discovery phase which eventually becomes the “why not” phase. So,
City Fathers/Mothers here goes.
Almost daily I hike the path from Carlsbad Village Drive to Cannon
Road. A couple of miles one-way and about as enjoyable and peaceful journey as
south of the Off-Shore Surf Shop. It might be, foot-for-foot, the most heavily
used plot of ground in the city. Kids tumble there, drummers drum there, yoga
excisers contort there, hacky-sack players jump around there, folks sit and
read there and all of them enjoy the view.
So, the thought struck me – why not expand it. There is a parking
lot (the city has provided plenty of free, nearby parking anyway) adjacent to
the grass right behind the Surf Shop and the Beachwalk Rental Villas next door.
There are 52 parking spaces in all. Parking for the Villas is around on the
east side of the building and access is through the parking lot.
Impossible to make that parking lot a grassy area? I don’t think
so. Do it one of two ways – 1) Make a two lane – entrance/exit – entry to get
around to the Villa parking and rip out the rest of the concrete; or 2) just
take out the 18 parking slots on the south end and extend the grass down to
where the entry point is located to go around the Villas.
Either way, make it grass with concrete benches like are already
in place, maybe even put in a play structure for kids. It would enhance the
scenery and many, many more folks would get a chance to enjoy the view than
those who park in those 30 spots facing the Pacific do now. It wouldn’t be
nearly as expansive, but it would be on the order of what it looks like off the
main drag in Laguna Beach.
After nine months one thing I’ll say for Carlsbad – it certainly
seems like a progressive city, I hope I’m not wrong. And can this plan or
something similar work? Why not?
