Draft Environmental Report Released for Fox Point Farms Project in Encinitas

Last week, the City of Encinitas released a draft environmental impact report for the proposed Fox Point Farms project located at 1150 Quail Gardens Drive.

Proposed by Nolen Communities, the development calls for the construction of a 250-unit residential “agrihood” community on a 21.48-acre site. 

The project proposes 210 market-rate units and an additional 40 very low-income units (affordable to households earning no more than 50 percent of area median income). Units would range from two to three stories in height. Apartments in the project would have an average unit size of 1,000 square feet, while the proposed townhomes/carriage units/cottages will average 1,150 square feet. 

The development is being built and designed into four separate lots. Lot 1 would consist of 197 apartments, edible landscaping, community gardens, trails, a bocce court, social spaces, an informal outdoor community library, and a community recreation center. 

Lot 2 would consist of a shared public/private agricultural amenity area including a farm-to-table restaurant (with alcohol sales as an accessory use), event lawns, discovery garden, outdoor dining areas, greenhouse and community event space, and an outdoor education patio.

Lot 3 would consist of an organic farm operation, including farm operation buildings, an orchard, and a chicken coop. Lot 4 would consist of 53 for-sale cottages/carriage units/townhomes.

To comply with the City’s design guidelines, Nolen Communities has assembled a large design team consisting of Starck Architecture, Steinberg Hart, and Schmidt Design Group to spearhead all the different design elements for the proposed project. 

The Draft EIR concluded that the project would not result in significant environmental impacts with the incorporation of mitigation measures for biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, hazards and hazardous materials, and tribal cultural resources.

A 45-day public review and comment period has been established from August 28, 2020 to October 12, 2020. Written comments must be submitted to the City by 6:00 p.m. on October 12, 2020.