NORTH COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL
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SPRING 2016
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sdnedc.org
success in our downtown," he said of Paseo Santa
Fe, which includes traffic and other public im-
provements, as well as a housing development.
SAN MARCOS
>> Few projects in North County, if any, will
rival the splash that is anticipated when North
City – alternatively known as the University Dis-
trict – accelerates development this year. San
Marcos Economic Development Manager Tess
Radmill said the project is important enough to
the city that it is being preemptively dubbed, in
many quarters, downtown San Marcos.
"There will be apartments, really fun restau-
rants and retail," said Radmill. "We're hoping to
attract quality, unique businesses to the area."
Straddling Twin Oaks Valley Road north of
Barham Drive, the development is described on
its website in grandiose terms: "an urban oasis …
a college town built around an urban square … a
cosmopolitan center, that sparks a strong sense of
place and pride."
Radmill didn't downplay its importance to the
local economy, either: "The university is one of
the huge economic drivers in the City of San
Marcos. We're hoping [local residents] make it
their downtown."
ENCINITAS
>> Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Gat-
tinella said that one of the major projects happen-
ing this year in Encinitas – Village Square One –
involves the conversion of a shopping center
near Encinitas Boulevard and El Camino Real to
house only restaurants.
Gattinella said the city is still hoping to attract
a new hotel, but reported that its retail and
restaurant sectors are looking strong: "It's hard to
find a table on a Friday or Saturday night any-
where in this city."
DEL MAR
>> A new town hall and city hall are in store
for Del Mar, says Kathleen Garcia, planning and
community development director. Set to break
ground in the second half of 2016, the project will
also include "a large public plaza and a great
place for our farmers market," Garcia said.
The city also plans to spend about $2 million
this year on streetscape improvements, said Gar-
cia, "to try to get people walking between the
fairgrounds and downtown, which would have
a lot of benefits in both locations."
POWAY
>> In Poway, planners are working on an offi-
cial economic development strategic plan and a
corridor study of Poway Road. Economic Devel-
opment Manager Jay Virata said one of the key
factors this year will be the city's ability to sell off
properties formerly owned by the Poway Rede-
velopment Agency – a mix of vacant land and
aging buildings split between the business park
and commercial areas off Poway Road.
"Where there's a combination of vacant land
and older buildings, if the market conditions
were right and the land use allowed, we may be
able to entice new development on Poway
Road," Virata said. "It would be a step in the
right direction."
l
SPECIAL REPORT
BUILDING
BLOCKS
C
ities throughout
North County are
knee-deep in develop-
ment projects aimed
to drive business and
deliver economic
growth. Learn more
about what's going on
around the region:
>> CLICK HERE to
view Oceanside
projects.
>> CLICK HERE to
view Carlsbad projects.
>> CLICK HERE to
view Vista projects.
>> CLICK HERE to
view Encinitas projects.
>> CLICK HERE to
view Del Mar projects.
>> CLICK HERE to
view Solana Beach
projects.
>> CLICK HERE to
view Escondido
projects.
>> CLICK HERE to
view San Marcos
projects.
>> CLICK HERE to
view Poway projects.
{LEARN MORE}
Artist rendering of
Del Mar Town Hall.
