Panel Upholds Rezoning of Quail Gardens

State Coastal Commissioners will not reconsider their controversial decision to rezone a 93-acre Encinitas parcel in an area known as Quail Gardens, commission officials announced Thursday.

The commission’s May 16 decision vastly increased residential building densities and paved the way for construction of as many as 500 housing units in the area, which is near the Quail Botanical Gardens, a reserve containing rare plants.

Last week, the Encinitas Union School District asked the commission to reverse its decision. District officials say the zoning change could add as many as 1,800 students to the school system, which they say is already overcrowded and has no room for additional pupils.

To buttress their request, administrators said their concerns were inadequately addressed prior to the commission’s action.

But Deborah Lee, chief of permits for the commission in San Diego, said there were no grounds for rehearing the matter. Lee said advance notice of the public hearing on the issue was made and noted that the district’s arguments had already been heard by the commission.