Letter to the Editor: Downtown Bars Are Bad for Encinitas

Dear Editor,

My family and I moved to Encinitas eight years ago. We were attracted to this amazing community because of its beauty and its peaceful, safe atmosphere. We chose Encinitas because it was different from surrounding communities like Pacific Beach, which were packed with bars and boisterous nightlife. But we are dismayed by the way Encinitas is changing.

To remember what Encinitas was like, I've taken some excerpts from the Encinitas website:

"Encinitas is characterized by coastal beaches, cliffs, flat-topped coastal areas, steep mesa bluffs and rolling hills.

 As the City has developed, it has grown up around the pre-existing flower growers. Quail Botanical Gardens is a beautiful oasis to visit ... The gardens of the Self-Realization Center are beautiful and sit overlooking the ocean in a serene garden-like setting.

Downtown 101 is a coastal shopping district over 100 years old featuring historical architecture, quaint shops, sidewalk cafes, and restaurants framed by beautiful flower baskets."

This sounds like the Encinitas we love, but in just eight years, the face of downtown Encinitas has changed dramatically. The qualities of harmony and peace that made it unique are being replaced by a steady stream of noisy drinking establishments, litter, and more crime. The crime statistics bear this out.

What remains of downtown Encinitas to draw new people to locate here or folks like us to remain? Young families, health conscious people, and senior citizens will likely steer clear of Encinitas if it keeps changing in the way that it has. Why are we allowing this to happen to our small community and what can we do about it?

My husband and I are members of The Encinitas Citizens Committee, a group of 200 local citizens and 60 businesses. We are asking the Encinitas City Council to impose a temporary moratorium on permits for new places that serve alcohol in downtown Encinitas until a solution to the problem can be found.

Please, Encinitas City Council, help us keep Encinitas a unique community where we can enjoy a safe, relaxed, and healthy lifestyle. Let's retain the qualities that make it a safe haven that draws people from all over the world to enjoy its rejuvenating atmosphere. 

If you, the reader, want to improve and preserve our way of life, please come to the Encinitas City Hall on May 16 at 6 p.m. Let's work together with the City Council to assure that Encinitas continues to be the kind of place that we are all proud and happy to call home.

Julie Briggs

Encinitas resident

If you have a Letter to the Editor that you would like to submit, please email it to Marlena.Medford@Patch.com.

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