The Sixties

The Landscape Changes

The sixties was a decade when Carlsbad planned for the future. No longer concerned with only organizing the basic services that a city must have, city government could focus attention on constructing civic buildings and programs. The city worked towards finding ways to increase sources of tax revenue. The construction of light industry and residential and commercial development added tax money to the city budget. This in turn helped to finance new city programs. As the city began a series of land annexations, Carlsbad’s geographical borders expanded, thus increasing the size and economic viability of the city. Planning for the future, Carlsbad defined a series of goals, which included finding ways to improve existing problems; formulating a general plan for future growth; constructing adequate civic buildings to service the growing community; and establishing a secure financial tax base.

One goal that the City Council set was finding solutions to preexisting problems in the downtown area. In 1961, complaints arose regarding the lack of street lighting, rezoning of certain areas, lack of adequate sewerage disposal, decrepit housing, and no freeway underpass at Chestnut. The downtown area was desperately in need of improvement. Construction of Interstate 5 had divided the city in half. The lack of roads connecting the downtown section of Carlsbad to the areas east of the freeway made it difficult for students to get to the newly constructed high school. The Santa Fe Railway, which ended passenger and freight service to Carlsbad by 1960, left its station depot as an abandoned eyesore in the downtown district. Many streets needed repaving, adequate sewage to stop the seasonal street flooding, and improved street lighting.

In one downtown section, some of the housing was unfit for human habitation. Many of the units used for housing in the downtown area that were declared unfit for human habitation by Dick Osburn, Carlsbad’s Building Commissioner, were converted garages. Used as rental units, these buildings lacked proper sanitation, had defective wiring, too many people living in them, and only six foot high ceilings. Osburn declared these units would need at least a fifty percent remodel to make them safe for human habitation. Gradual rehabilitation of these units occurred when seventeen of them were demolished and were replaced with housing that conformed to city building codes.

In July 1961, the Planning Commission granted a zoning change for one section of Roosevelt Street at the request of Blazer Aranda. The area known as the” Roosevelt Zone”, included Tyler, Roosevelt, Madison, Walnut and Oak was changed from R.P. (residential-professional) to C-2 (general commercial) zoning. This increased the commercial tax revenues for the city and allowed for an expansion of the business community in town.

As the sixties progressed, the City Council continued with downtown improvements: streets were paved; drainage was installed that eliminated the ponds that formed along Grand Avenue after each rain; and the Elm Street lighting project was accomplished. During Mayor David Dunne’s’ administration, funds were obtained that financed the $1 million dollar Chestnut Street underpass construction, which was completed in 1971.This underpass greatly facilitated travel in town. It was particularly helpful as a direct route for all school children who lived west of the freeway and attended school east of the freeway.

Chris Christiansen, who was instrumental in obtaining the Old Santa Fe Depot for city use, convinced the members of Carlsbad’s Rotary Club to donate time and funds to rehabilitate the building. The Rotary Club was successful in converting an eyesore into a small downtown park.

Sewage solutions

Carlsbad and Vista agreed in 1961 that in order for their cities to grow, they needed to improve the existing sewage system. In order to accomplish this, they recognized the necessity of entering into a joint powers agreement specifically to solve this issue. The plan they devised called for construction of an entirely new treatment plant built at Encina that connected to a mile long concrete ocean outfall pipe. The Encina plant would replace the sewage treatment facility built in 1929 on Buena Vista Lagoon, near Highways 101 and 78. Taxpayers approved the sewage treatment plants bonds in 1962. The approval of a $2.12 million bond in Carlsbad and a $2,750,000 bond in Vista financed the construction of the Encina plant. Financial arrangements were later made to admit Buena Sanitation District and San Marcos City Water District into the Encina Sewage Treatment Facility. By the fall of 1965 the plant was built and operational.

Master Planning

Another city goal was to formulate a general or master plan that would map the city’s future growth and give clear directions on how the city would obtain goals set in the plan. The city had adopted a county land use plan and a set of zoning codes immediately after incorporating in 1952. They operated under these guidelines until the 1960s, when substandard housing in the downtown area, and increased commercial, industrial, and residential growth as well as increased traffic and the annexation of more land brought on the need for planned growth. By December 1965, the City Council approved the Planning Department’s preliminary General Plan, pending public imput. Consisting of 41 pages, the first General Plan, adopted in 1966, charted Carlsbad’s growth for the next twenty years. The Plan was to be reviewed every year and revised every five years, adapting to changes in civic and community requirements. Elements of Carlsbad’s General Plan had to interact with each other as well as with plans and programs at national, state, regional and local levels.

Some of the elements contained in Carlsbad’s General Plan were added in the years following the initial plan adoption. The Housing element, added in 1969, was the first added amendment to the approved General Plan. Today, after much revision, the Carlsbad General Plan covers land use, circulation (traffic), noise, housing, open space and conservation, public safety, parks and recreation, and arts. Hundreds of pages long, the Plan reflected Carlsbad’s expanded city borders and the complex issues facing the city.

New Civic Facilities and Expansions

The physical growth of Carlsbad was another goal set during the sixties. The city built three large publicly owned buildings: City Hall, Fire Station 1 and the Library. Annexation of land that increased city boundaries and added more taxable land into the city also began during this decade. The construction of new industry, housing subdivisions, and commercial outlets also contributed to the physical and financial growth of the city. In the late sixties, construction began on a series of civic buildings. More than 30 years after construction, these buildings are still in use. By the mid sixties, Carlsbad citizens had outgrown their small library located in the old water department. Children and adult services were divided between two separate buildings. The need for a larger city library was obvious. The voters approved a bond issued that financed the construction of the new facility built on Elm Street that opened in 1967.This building is still used as a library and is currently known as the Georgina Cole Library. It became a focal point for community cultural experiences, providing thousands of volumes of books, art displays, lectures, film series and community events.

The first building that was constructed with city funds specifically for city office space was located on Elm and Pio Pico in 1954. It housed City Hall offices, the Police Department and the Fire Department. In 1968 this building was demolished when Interstate 5 was widened. The City was forced at that time to rebuild their city complex. On September 8, 1968, the newly constructed City Hall and Police Department complex was dedicated. These buildings were located on a site, fronting the realigned Pio Pico and Elm location. The Fire Department was relocated into a separate building located diagonally from City Hall on Elm Street. A series of land annexations during the sixties increased Carlsbad’s area from 7.5 square miles to 11.3 square miles. The 1952 Incorporation boundaries marked Carlsbad’s eastern most border as El Camino Real and set the southern border just south of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon. Annexation of various strips of land surrounding the city established new northern, eastern and southern borders. One strip, annexed in 1963, ran east from Palomar Airport for two miles and incorporated the future Carlsbad Raceway. The industrial, commercial, and residential growth potential resulting from these land annexations provided Carlsbad with a secure financial future.

Residential development that boomed during the sixties also contributed to Carlsbad’s tax revenues. One of the largest developers, Kamar Construction Company, organized and run by Robert and Jerry Rombotis, built numerous subdivisions in Carlsbad such as Falcon Hills, Tamarack Manor, and Holiday Manor. In 1969, the old Carlsbad airport near Chestnut and El Camino was converted into a subdivision of 100 homes called El Camino Mesa. The La Costa resort and surrounding homes were built in the mid- sixties. While technically not part of Carlsbad until 1972, the development of this area and the increase in population had a major impact on the city.

Impacts on Agriculture and New Revenue sources

Residential and industrial development that replaced agricultural land in the city led to citizen complaints. Carlsbad’s Mayor David Dunne responded to these charges in April 1969. Dunne stated, “ A lot of people here are not too anxious to see the city grow, but you can’t put a fence around it. People are going to come and we have to take care of them. We’ve had pretty much an agricultural/tourist type economy, but we have to develop our industrial base to keep taxes within a reasonable figure.” The flower growers in Carlsbad were the ones most affected by the industrial and residential growth. Until the 1960s the flower industry was Carlsbad’s largest employer. Esker’s poinsettias, Frazee’s ranuculas, Thompson’s roses, Pedley’s Bird of Paradise, Hummel’s succulents and bromeliads all dominated the local fields and green houses, providing employment for many. The farmers were adversely affected in a number of ways including the freeway that paved over fields and increases in tax assessments. During the sixties, agricultural land was classified for tax purposes as potential subdivision land. This classification increased the tax 250% between the years 1961 and1965. Farm delegations protested this assessment classification and requested the land be taxed like any other business or commercial property. When taxes for agricultural land exceeded the total income derived from the land, many Carlsbad growers could no longer afford to farm. Gradually the acres of Carlsbad flower fields were converted into industrial and commercial and residential areas.

Carlsbad’s financial stability continued to grow along with the industrial and commercial growth in the city. The largest commercial enterprise developed in the city at this time was the Plaza Camino Real Mall. Built on land deemed worthless for farming, the revenue derived from this multimillion-dollar regional shopping center greatly enhanced Carlsbad’s budget. It provided a dependable source of commercial revenue for Carlsbad at a time when the downtown business district was in a financial downturn.

Richard Graves, an expert on urban redevelopment was consulted on how to revitalize the downtown area of Carlsbad so that it would be a benefit to the city rather than a liability. The construction of Interstate 5 and the mall and the ending of train service all contributed to the overall decline in the downtown business district. Graves suggested a switch from general retail to more specialized shops, He pointed out that in order to entice shoppers into the area, it should be cleaned up and renovated. Graves felt that Carlsbad’s climate was perfect for tourism and that the freeway would provide easy access to town. Later in the 70s, a redevelopment plan was organized and implemented.

Industrial development that began in the sixties occurred on the outermost borders of town. In the northeast area of town the South Coast Asphalt Company established a rock quarry on land that contained the El Salto Falls near the Buena Vista Creek, that feeds water into the Buena Vista Lagoon. In the southeast section of town along Palomar Airport Road, Industrial parks were established. Magnetic Technology, which made precision electric motors, became the first company in the Carlsbad Industrial Park. Numerous other companies were established throughout the area, gradually establishing an industrial corridor along Palomar Airport Road. This industrial development contributed greatly to Carlsbad’s financial security and future.