February 2026 Newsletter

admin_xc31 d5rr — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 21:36:05 +0000

Welcome to the first edition of the Strong Towns Encinitas newsletter, where we share local news, upcoming events, education, resources, and current media.

Encinitas News

During Wednesday’s (2/25) meeting, the Encinitas City Council voted 4-1 to approve the $459,398 contract with Michael Baker for the redesign of the Santa Fe Dr. West Improvement project. Council followed staff’s recommendations and amended the motion to include community input at the 50% design stage.

In addition to the Santa Fe decision, the City Council voted 5-0 to deny the appeal from the Sage Canyon project developer regarding street frontage improvement concessions, citing that safety, and the accompanying side walk and bike lanes, is a priority for the city.

Leucadia at-grade railroad crossings got one step closer to reality in January. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) made a preliminary approval of the city’s application for the crossings, with a final decision expected in Q2 2026.

Also in January, the California Coastal Commission approved new regulations for short-term rentals (STRs) in Encinitas. The city will put a cap on “non-hosted” rentals, limiting them to 2.5% of total housing citywide and 4% in the area west of Interstate 5. Additionally, the required minimum stay was reduced from three nights to two nights.

Congressman Mike Levin secures $1M of federal funds to install the 60-inch pipe on the North Coast 101 drainage project in Leucadia. This funding is part of $42.5 million that was secured for projects in the 49th district.

Huntington Beach’s attempt to assert local control over housing was blocked when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear its case. The outcome reinforces the State of California’s authority over housing mandates, even for charter cities, and serves as a signal to other cities considering legal challenges to state housing requirements.