Congratulations to Ann Gunter becoming the newest partner in The Lightfoot Planning Group, in May 2007.  Ann joined The Lightfoot Planning Group in 1985 and is currently the Vice President of the Land Use Planning Division.   Her extensive land use planning expertise brings a balance to the team of partners that will expand the capacity of the firm and ensure the continued success of the company. 

Dan Niebaum joined the Land Use Planning Division as a Senior Planner in May 2007.  He has both a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Master’s in Community & Regional Planning from the University of Nebraska. Dan has worked both in public planning and as a private planning consultant.  Dan will be working on land entitlement projects, as well as site layout and design.  He was born and raised in Fremont, Nebraska and has worked in California, Nevada, and Missouri, and enjoys outdoor activities, traveling, live concerts, and sports events.

In 2003, the Encinitas Union School District (EUSD) closed Pacific View Elementary School due to enrollment reductions within the school’s attendance boundaries. It was the District’s intention to use the site to generate funds or other assets to further its programs, services and facility plans. The Lightfoot Planning Group was hired in 2006 to work with a Citizens' Advisory Committee, to devise a land use and site plan as a framework for future development of the site.  The committee was comprised of adjacent neighbors and interested residents, members of the Encinitas Main Street Association, and the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce and Historical Society.   In addition, EUSD Board members and City of Encinitas Staff participated in all committee meetings.  The task force approved the conceptual site plan in March. 

The former school site is located within the Downtown Encinitas Specific Plan area, and in May the Encinitas City Council approved a request to prepare an amendment to the Downtown Encinitas Specific Plan.  We anticipate that the entitlement project will take approximately one year.  

Partnering with Perkins + Will Architects and the Carlsbad Unified School District, we completed a new master plan for the 52-year-old Carlsbad High School campus, beginning with the first phase of a design renovation of its new state-of-the-art athletic stadium.  The design will include seating for 4,000, serving the school and visitors, as well as many other expanded features.  The design calls for a new parking lot and new ball court areas, as well as perimeter and entry landscaping and decorative hardscape paving.  Senior Landscape Architect Phil Armstrong is managing the project.

Global Warming and CEQA
Global Warming issue has been making its way into the development process throughout California lately with a series of lawsuits.  These lawsuits, some of which were initiated by the State Department of Planning and Land Use, claim that CEQA documents that do not address a project’s contribution to global warming are inadequate.  The courts, however, have not definitively ruled on the issue and new test cases are sure to surface in the months ahead.  The State Legislature is now involved with SB 375 (Steinberg), a bill designed to stop suburban development under the guise of reducing global warming.  SB 375 would withhold transportation funding from City’s that fail to meet carbon emission standards that haven't even been developed yet.  As case law builds on the issue, we will stay on top of the latest developments and continue to guide your projects forward based on the best available information.