Keith Blackburn Q&As

1. What is your position on the Village/Barrio plan?

The Barrio and Village are the heart of Carlsbad. The Village was my first exposure to Carlsbad many years ago. Soon after visiting the Village, I drove around looking at homes and prices . . . now, not only do I live in Carlsbad, but my daughter, her husband and my grandson, my sister and her family, my parents, and even my ex-wife, all live in Carlsbad.

The Village/Barrio mean so much to so many residents and visitors. The Barrio is where Carlsbad started, and that history must be preserved. With that said, some of the areas of the Barrio have potential for improvement.

Some areas of improvement that I support include:

• Re-zoning to make financial sense for property owners to upgrade their older and less maintained property.
• Better lighting.
• Major Improvements to Pine Park.
• Better access to the beach with a pedestrian crossing at Chestnut.

The Village must keep its quaint feel with building standards that protect its charm. I want to add more lights to the trees, as we did on State St. I have been an unwavering support of a pedestrian promenade in the Village. As with any improvements, I want there to be ample parking.

2. If the county Measure A fails, what path would you take for the city to trench the tracks in the Village?

Our staff and council are exploring every opportunity for grants, matching money, and other options for financing the trenching of the tracks.

3. What is your stance on open space and how to reach the 40 percent goal set by the General Plan?

Carlsbad is currently at about 38% open space. Just like in school, my goals were always to score 100% on tests, but a 95% was considered a success. In this case I am proud that we have met 95% of our open space goal. As opportunities arise, our council strives to increase that percentage. In some cases, as developers propose projects, we encourage them dedicate some of their property to open space.

The council dedicated $5m to acquisition of open space and trails. There is about $3.5m remaining to purchase open space when the right properties come available.

4. How can the city become more involved, and what is your plan, concerning land use decisions at the power plant?

The future of the power plant property is limited only by our imagination. I’m looking forward to hearing all of the ideas for its transformation. It may be a little premature for our council and staff to begin the formal public participation process, but its not to early to dream and formulate creative ideas.

5. How would/or are you proceeding to work with the state to address the lack of lifeguards on the northern stretch of Carlsbad State Beach?

Our staff, and Fire Chief have been actively working with State lifeguards and will present options at a council meeting in the near future. As a retired Carlsbad Police Officer, I support public safety, including lifeguard services.