Carlsbad

The City Council has tentatively agreed to put a measure on the ballot in March asking voters to approve the purchase of Hosp Grove, a scenic eucalyptus forest threatened with the developer’s ax.

The council on Tuesday voted 3-1 to sponsor the measure, under which a simple majority vote would authorize buying the 52-acre forest for about $6.5 million.

Final approval of the plan is expected when the council gathers tonight for a special meeting.

On Nov. 4, a ballot measure that would have raised property taxes to finance purchase of the land fell just short of the required two-thirds vote, garnering about 64.5% of the total.

Council members had agreed to allow development of a commercial and residential project to proceed if the measure failed, but its solid showing at the polls persuaded them to seek new ways to buy the land.

Although the council agreed on Tuesday to again bring the issue before the voters, the members could reach no consensus on how best to finance the deal.

Instead, the council directed City Manager Frank Aleshire to investigate appropriate methods for funding the purchase. Among the alternatives being considered are raising the city’s hotel bed tax or the fees charged for new construction.

Councilman John Mamaux cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing that the grove should be purchased only if residents agree to finance it by increasing property taxes. Although that would require a two-thirds vote, Mamaux suggested that the measure could attract enough votes this time to win.