Robertson Ranch Park

At a glance

Known as Robertson Ranch Park, the next city park will be located on 11.2 acres near the intersection of El Camino Real and Cannon Road.
The city is now seeking input from the community on park design concepts.
The new park is part of the City Council’s 5-Year Strategic Plan, focused on maintaining Carlsbad’s excellent quality of life and unique community character.
At this time, the city does not have a timeline for construction. Once a park design is approved, the City Council will provide direction on funding and next steps.
At 11.2 acres, the Robertson Ranch Park site is smaller than the city’s large community parks, like Aviara Community Park (24 acres), and about twice as big as Holiday Park (6 acres).

Public input

Last year, city staff gathered input from the community to kick off the design process. Based on that input and the recently completed Parks & Recreation Department Master Plan, city staff presented three different options for public review and feedback in winter 2024.

Learn about how input gathered last year was used to develop the three park design options. An updated summary report with the results from recent public engagement efforts will be available in spring 2024.

About the park

The 2006 Robertson Ranch Master Plan identified three soccer fields, a tot lot, passive recreation areas and parking as anticipated uses for the park. Passive recreation could include walking paths, picnic tables and seating areas. The city developed three design options for the park based on input gathered from from the Carlsbad community, which are available for public feedback.

The city has established three park classifications: special use areas, community parks and special resource areas. The 11.2 acre Robertson Ranch Park site falls between the size of a typical size of a special use area (1-5 acres) and a community park (20-50 acres), though there are several smaller parks “grandfathered” in. These park classifications are defined in the City of Carlsbad’s General Plan.

Background

The City of Carlsbad’s General Plan requires the city to have 3 acres of park land for every 1,000 residents. That’s why when new housing developments are approved, developers often must pay fees for the future construction of parks. In 2006, the Carlsbad City Council approved the development master plan for Robertson Ranch. The neighborhood features a mixture of single-family and multifamily housing, along with open spaces and trails.

As part of the approved master plan, 11.2 acres were set aside for the future Robertson Ranch Park.

Park planning process

When developing a new park, the City of Carlsbad follows laws and policies spelled out in various city planning documents and completes state-required environmental analysis.

Develop recommended park master plan

The city works with the community to develop a recommended master plan, which includes the general uses and features of the park and approximately where they will be located within the park boundary. The recommended park master plan is presented to the city’s Parks & Recreation Commission, which makes an advisement to the City Council about its approval. The City Council ultimately votes to approve the recommended master plan.

Develop detailed park design and permitting

The city uses the recommended park master plan to fill in the details of the park’s design, including grading, drainage, electrical systems, irrigation and other important infrastructure. As the detailed designs progress, the city completes an environmental review and applies for various permits required to build the park.

Then, the Planning Commission reviews the design and environmental documents and considers issuing the permits within its authority, to ensure city standards are met. After that, the city’s Parks & Recreation Commission reviews the draft final master plan and advises the City Council about its approval. The City Council ultimately votes to approve the park’s final master plan and authorizes city staff to complete the construction plans and specifications to put the project out to bid.

Develop cost estimate

Once the construction plans and specifications have been completed, the city can develop a more precise cost estimate.

Construction

Once the bidding process is complete, the city chooses a contractor to build the park, develops a construction schedule and oversees the construction of the park.

Past actions

Carlsbad, CA

At a glance

Public input

Robertson Ranch Park designs

Robertson Ranch Park survey

Give input on Robertson Ranch Park