Construction commences at Pacific Station in Encinitas

ENCINITAS — Construction began Sept. 11 at Pacific Station, the new $40 million mixed-use redevelopment project located on Highway 101 in downtown Encinitas. Site grading and utility work has commenced, with completion of the project scheduled for late 2009/early 2010.
Conceived as a “green” development featuring many environmentally responsible design features, Pacific Station is a mixed-use, transit-oriented, redevelopment project being constructed on the formerly vacant, 1.4-acre site at 687 S. Coast Highway 101, near the transit station and city hall. The 1960s-era metal warehouse that formerly occupied the site has been disassembled and moved. Once serving as the offices of the Coast Dispatch newspaper, the building was donated to a church group in Mexicali, where it will be reassembled for use as a church and community center.
Developed by Cardiff-by-the-Sea-based John DeWald & Associates, in conjunction with Phase 3 Properties, Inc., Pacific Station will offer approximately 40,000 square feet of retail space, including a Whole Foods Market, restaurants, public plazas, small shops, 9,000 square feet of professional office space, and 47 condominiums — all constructed over two floors of underground parking.
Pacific Station was designed by an architectural team consisting of John Maple/Maple Dell + McClellan Architects; Allard Jansen Architects, Inc.; and Architecture Illustrated. It is located next to the Encinitas transit center, one block from the civic center and downtown library and just a few blocks from Moonlight Beach. Pacific Station’s residential architecture is a mix of two-story townhomes, two-story lofts and single-story flats ranging from approximately 600 to 2,400 square feet. The project includes four low-income residential units. Pacific Station project creates a synergistic environment of beach living, working and shopping, with a 25,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market.
Proposed in 2006, Pacific Station was approved by the Encinitas community and City Council in April 2007, following a design process that included full community involvement and many community design workshops. The resulting project design includes the features and architectural elements resulting from those workshops and meets all of the Encinitas Downtown Specific plan zoning requirements and design goals. 
“We believe that this project is a model for smaller scale, mixed-use development along the coast that maximizes utilization of land, and the placement of people, shopping, offices and services in the central town area near transit hubs,” John DeWald, principal of John DeWald & Associates, said. “Pacific Station reflects the look, feel and sensibilities of the unique Encinitas beach community and contributes to a walkable community that brings life back to our downtown. In addition, Pacific Station is an example of land use planning that helps reduce green house gas emissions, minimizes the loss of open space, and provides reasonable and affordable housing along the coastal area.”
As part of site grading, the project developer will work with the city of Encinitas to provide approximately 37,000 cubic yards of sand for restoration of Ponto Beach in northern Encinitas. In addition, Pacific Station will include an innovative solar power system.
 “We have also partnered with Open Energy Corporation to provide solar photovoltaic systems for the project to power approximately 60 percent of the residential usage and additional power for our retail tenants,” DeWald said. “Our goal is to put approximately 150 kilowatts  of solar capacity on the roof. The residential program includes a new approach to financing solar power systems. Open Energy will be the owner and operator of the solar systems and provide electricity to the residents at a discounted rate over the SDG&E rates. This allows for easier financing for these kinds of systems in multi-family developments and may pave the way for solar being easily available to new and existing multifamily communities.”
Pacific Station is also is also designed to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified. The LEED Green Building Rating System is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
A buyer interest list for the purchase of Pacific Station residential units is now open. Visit online at www.PacificStation.net.