The vacant lot in San Elijo Hills towncenter has been wrapped with a green screen for the last couple years. Recently the screen was removed to showcase the Marketwalk shops to traffic heading south through town.
What would you like to see built in the vacant lot?
The green fence removal is a good improvement. I think a park or green space on one side and shops on the other by the gas station would be great here. Everyone forgets the past when town centers had circles or squares in the 1950s and 60s. When the town built up the traffic was really bad and they had to get rid of the circle or square. Or they built another street to avert traffic. So building to many shops will lead to more traffic. The schools down in this area are bad enough with traffic.
I like the idea of additional green space. In addition, I would like to see a swimming facility including a 25 m lap pool, children’s swim development pool (which could be coupled as an aqua size pool) and splash area. A swim facility in San Elijo Hills would be a great addition. If the swim facility would not work in the Towne Square (I am not sure of requirements re proximity of certain development to gas stations), an alternate location could be up the hill off of Wild Canyon. Just a suggestion.
Hillary – Many people would love to have a lap pool or swim facility. Since the area by WildCanyon was sold to a developer the HOA could decide to build one by Questhaven park.
Do we really need more shops in SEH? With Creek & University District mega projects coming from the City & the forever pending fancy Forum style mall at the top of La Costa. Can SEH handle more traffic? Look at the village in Rancho Santa Fe with all that Del Dios cut through traffic, the only merchants that make it are Realtors, a liquor store providing lunch for the labor and a couple of fancy restaurants. A Chase bank in the Albertsons parking lot space? Soon we will all deposit checks with a camera phone, ATM needs will decline with cell phone payment tools. look around north county at all the empty bank branches over the last 20 years, that location should have been a restaurant. How about office space and a couple more shops? The developer can’t rent the last open retail spaces or sell the last off the Marketwalk condos. Nothing new will happen till they are done with that. We need to make sure we all study all the anemic business in La Costa area and realize that Bressi Ranch retail developer is struggling before we cry for more. I guess we all need to Buy Local and coach the merchants we do have…give us quality and service and we will walk over. I also like the green space, fitness ideas that folks have suggested. We also need to give the kids something to do after school?
This is defiantly a neighborhood full of kids and they too need safe areas to hang out. A green zone and small skate park would be great for the center. I agree that we do not need a bank in the Albertsons parking lot. A full service restaurant is a much better idea.
Skate park is a great idea. Maybe a nice rose garden for the other folks? I bet SEH would support a full service restaurant, but the spaces are gone for that? Peppertree talks about a real kitchen.
Skate park or water park would be great up the hill. The towncenter is too small for the congestion of traffic, if located there.
We need basketball courts in SEH! Why don’t we have ’em?
A pool facility is a great idea but not in the town center. Put it up the hill where it was suggested to go in at questhaven. More restaurants would be nice, such as a good sushi place. Hendos was a nice addition and its too bad Peppertree couldnt expand into the entire first floor. This link provides pdf link to a proposed plot plan for the rest of the space. I agree the bank is unnecessary.
What link?
One other thing – the park at questhaven is ok but there is so much space that it would be nice if the equipment for kids was more ‘mature’. Once a child is past about 2-3, that park is too small for them. Also odd that we have no swings in this community for kids.
We have basketball courts the school district keeps them locked up.
This is the first area where I’ve lived that the schools keep them locked. Aren’t we paying for the school. I know I pay a boat load in property and “prop” taxes that go to the schools, and I don’t even have kids. Open the gates up on the weekends already!!!
Drop-by pickup basketball games is a great to casually meet your community members. I abhor softball with all the equipment needs and organization neccessary to get a game. There is nothing better than begging your opponent to stay longer for best out of 5 after they just kicked your @ss 2 out of 3.
At this point, with the long-term viability of additional retail questionable (since there are still empty storefronts on the Marketwalk side, and with Dexter’s Deli already having closed up shop), I’d say that they should just give up on the retail idea and make the open area a park . . . basically a visual extension of the area where the fountain is. Better that than empty storefronts.
“Shop live and play”
There is not much to shop in SEH!
Greasy pizza at hendo , average food at pepper tree, an Albertsons like everywhere else…
And there was a deli for dogs…hahaha!
Long time ago the award development of SEH
asked their residents what grocery stores they would like to see in the community.
people responded with number choice : Whole foods, then Trader joe or Henry’s.
It has been decided and it is: Albertson’s.
Today almost nobody is buying there unless the missing item.
A lot of residents are still driving to Bressi ranch TJ or S B, or encinitas Henry’s .
A whole foods grocery market like the new one Encinitas would have been perfect for the community, a lot of fresh local quality products and a great variety of organic items .
We’ve been ask to support the local stores,it should be the local shops that should support us by offering better products: we want freshness ,quality , local, non industrial , artisan, organic, good taste…
people of SEH want to offer the best for their family, not the same average crap that we can find anywhere….
Great stores will attract great customers ! (not the inverse)
I actually like the Albertsons, and the Starbucks in it. The people are friendly, the selections good, and the prices reasonable.
Hendos is also a great place to hang out. I wish they had been allowed to make the wind guards retractable, so that it would be open on balmy summer evenings. I’m looking forward to watching the Rugby World Cup there.
I use the Postal Annex too, now that they are open until 6.
Peppertree is a good place for business lunches, but not dinner. We still need a real restaurant.
I wish they would just do what they originally said they would do with the crater: Services/Retail, mostly entertainment and dining, on the ground floor, and offices on the second.
I would put my company in one of those offices, but I won’t put it in the marketwalk, because I am not retail, and don’t’ want a ground floor office.
The whole “live-work” thing hasn’t worked out. What there IS a shortage of is something in between the small professional office, and the large mixed use box, in north county.
If we’re to have the “walkable” community we were promised, we need the basics, and a bank is certainly one of them.
I think the right place for an athletic facility is the old recycling center, but apparently that isn’t going to happen.
I agree that we should be able to use the school athletics fields and basketball courts after school hours. It’s inane that these facilities sit idle over 1/2 the time that they could be in use.
As far as the Questhaven park, I agree that it needs more, and basketball could be a great addition. The whole swing thing is, I’m sure, a liability issue. You can thank the America Bar Association and Trial Lawyers for that.
basketball courts are sorely missed in this community. It’s a great activity for young and old, and you can start a game with just a handful of people and one basketball. Softball and soccer can only really be used when you get something organized, and require more equipment, whereas basketball can start with a small group and slowly grow as more people come.
basketball courts are sorely missed in this community. It’s a great activity for young and old, and you can start a game with just a handful of people and one basketball. Softball and soccer can only really be used when you get something organized, and require more equipment, whereas basketball can start with a small group and slowly grow as more people come. Maybe not appropriate for this area, but would be great somewhere.
Right on Scott! If 4S can have parks with basketball courts why can’t SEH?
As for the green screen area, why invite some food trucks over on weekends and evenings for those of us too lazy to cook?
We Need basketball courts!
We need a pool. Let’s propose it for Questhaven park in the slope area behind the grass. It’s unused space anyways and they waste so much water there every night. A pool would probably even more resourceful after making the initial investment.
Basketball courts … But I wonder if it will even matter. You asked we tell…someone with the money makes their own decision.
We need a pool, would be perfect even in the winter!
A couple of tennis courts and basketball courts would be great. There’s plenty of room at quest haven park.