Jurisdiction Over Proposed Resort : Carlsbad Votes to Annex 2,936 Acres Near Lagoon

CARLSBAD —  The City Council voted Tuesday night to annex 2,936 acres to the city, including a large part of the Batiquitos Lagoon and the site where Texas oil magnates W. Herbert and Nelson Bunker Hunt have proposed building a luxury resort and residential development.

The annexation, approved by a unanimous vote, is the largest single addition to Carlsbad ever, Councilwoman Ann Kulchin said.

The acquisition, she said, will bring the Hunts’ Pacific Rim Country Club and Resort, plans for which include a golf course, a hotel and residential units, under Carlsbad’s jurisdiction.

The 1,740-acre development would be on the north shore of the lagoon between El Camino Real and Interstate 5, and is expected to take 10 to 20 years to complete.

Kulchin said the city would expect the Hunts to manage the lagoon, which they own part of, and development along the shoreline in such a way that it would continue to benefit the public.

Before the annexation, about 500 acres of the site proposed for the development were within city limits. The San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission approved the annexation in early October.

The Hunts had requested the annexation so that developers would not have to comply with both city and county planning regulations, said Larry Clemens, vice president of HPI Development Co.

City officials said they favored annexation because Carlsbad would benefit from the occupancy tax generated by the proposed hotel, Kulchin said. The city also could ensure that the lagoon would be protected, she said.

“I want jurisdiction over that land,” Kulchin said in an interview before the meeting. “Our laws are more stringent than county laws.”

The council originally had scheduled the vote on the annexation for Dec. 18, but company representatives requested a 30-day delay to consider how the project would be affected by proposed changes in the city’s density restriction requirements.

Plans for the project show 5,438 residential units on the north shore of the lagoon, Clemens said.

The Hunts decided to go ahead and seek the annexation after city officials indicated they were pleased with the master plan that was unveiled Friday, Clemens said. Company officials are hopeful that the city will allow a density exemption for the development should the need arise.

“It is our feelings that the elected officials are supportive of the project,” he said. “We feel more certain than before.”

Councilman Mark Petine posed the only question before the council voted, asking Clemens whether he had met with any city officials to discuss a possible deal to exempt the development from density requirements if the company agreed to the annexation. Clemens denied that he had met with any city representatives.