Encinitas City Council to Consider 30-Foot Lights for Sports Park

ENCINITAS, CA - The Encinitas City Council will consider a proposal Wednesday on whether to move forward with a plan to put in 30-foot lights at Leo Mullen Sports Park.

To move forward, the council will have to approve a change to the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan, which currently does not allow lights at the field. The proposed lights would be 30 feet, and do not require a vote by the citizens of Encinitas to pass, according to a city staff report.

The Specific Plan allows for lighting only with the approval of a major use permit, according to the report.

The park, located at 951 Via Cantebria, includes a soccer playing field, restroom, parking lot, play structure, basketball half-courts, baseball field/backstop and a concrete elevated seating area. It is currently open from 8 a.m. to sunset, and installing lights would allow activities until 9 p.m., according to the report.

The sports facility is surrounded by an existing shopping center to the west and north, a wetland and El
Camino Real right-of-way to the east and homes to the south, the report states.

Earlier this year, the city council approved an upgrade to turf and electrical updates to make way for the lights. They were installed this summer after the decision was appealed to the California Coastal Commission, which upheld the council's approval.

If the proposal moves forward, public hearings will take place as the change requires several permits, including one under the Local Coastal Program.

What do you think of the proposal to bring lights to the athletic facility? Tell us in the comments.

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