AN, opponents are not generally against One Paseo because it’s a mixed use project. To the contrary, I think most of us feel the mixed use aspect makes it more attractive. A village center concept is extremely appealing…who doesn’t want more connectivity, walking paths, gathering places, cafes, etc? Especially if we can actually live and/or work in that village center. This is much more attractive than a strip mall.
The issue with One Paseo is not the design or the mixed use aspect, it’s the density and scale.
And I don’t have faith that the lack of public transit will change anytime soon. Yes, it should be easy to fix as there are two bus lines currently 2+ miles away from One Paseo, but locals have been working for years to bring either one of those bus lines up Del Mar Heights Rd, without any success. It would be great if One Paseo became the catalyst to make that happen, but if that was likely, why wouldn’t the developer and/or elected officials be saying so as part of their pitch? So far, the only offer the developer has suggested is that they might have a shuttle bus to the Coaster station. Nice, but not going to be useful to anyone who needs to get around the area, going to the beach, schools, library, other shopping areas, etc – and isn’t that the point of creating hubs/villages in the area?
By now, you must be tired of my restating these points so to change topics slightly, here’s a semi-related story I read in today’s NYTimes, about micro-apartments and the demand for them in NYC, as their single population has grown from 1/3 to 1/2 of the total population. Now don’t go telling me this would be good for Carmel Valley, lol, but micro apartments are a great concept in areas that are in demand by singles, and already have robust public transit systems and high density. 🙂
