Carefully managing growth and development is critical to maintaining the City of Carlsbad’s excellent quality of life. In 1986, the Carlsbad City Council passed a growth management ordinance, which put conditions on how growth could occur, including requiring development pays its own way. That November, Carlsbad voters passed Proposition E, which affirmed the principles of the Growth Management Program and established caps on the number of housing units that could be built in Carlsbad.

Now, 35 years later, the major new planned residential developments in Carlsbad are mostly built, and new state laws have changed how future housing will be approved. As such, the city is entering a new phase where different tools will be needed to effectively manage growth.

What's next?

A resident-led committee created by the City Council completed its work in April 2023 with a report that identifies issues and standards that will help ensure Carlsbad retains an excellent quality of life as it continues to grow. The committee process was the first step in the development of a new long-term growth management program. 

The City Council accepted the committee's report on July 18, 2023 and asked staff to return to discuss next steps to update the city's growth management program, which include doing technical studies to determine if and how the standards proposed by the committee can be linked to developer fees.

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Contact

Eric Lardy, City Planner
Eric.lardy@carlsbadca.gov
442-339-2712