Lack of Parking Could Delay North County Commuter Train Line

Trouble finding ample parking space at sites being considered for station stops along the proposed Oceanside-to-San Diego commuter rail link could hamper efforts to begin mass transit service by 1992, officials said Thursday.

Transportation planners originally designated nine stops in the coastal cities along the 43-mile railway that runs parallel to Interstate 5.

Each of the targeted station sites is expected to be approved by the appropriate city council by July, said Michael Zdon, a senior transportation planner with the San Diego Assn. of Governments.

Sandag, the Metropolitan Transit Development Board and the North County Transit Development Board are spearheading plans to establish the commuter rail project, which they hope will alleviate congestion on I-5.

Some Sites Approved

Some station sites--for example, the Encinitas stop--have already received council approval and others are scheduled for review this month, Zdon said. In addition to Encinitas, stops are planned for Oceanside, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Sorrento Valley, Miramar, Old Town and the Santa Fe Depot.

But finding a suitable site for the Del Mar station has, thus far, proved difficult, Zdon said. Originally, transportation planners were hoping to use the Del Mar Amtrak station to serve commuter rail patrons as well, Zdon said. But the lack of parking there ruled out such plans.

Consultants hired to find alternative sites are scheduled to propose three possible locations before the Del Mar City Council on Monday.

But city officials have already expressed reservations about two of the three alternatives because of their proximity to sensitive environmental land--San Dieguito Lagoon--and the lack of access roads.

“I’m not saying that I don’t want one,” Councilwoman Brooke Eisenberg said. “It’s just that if I say that we want it, the question is, Where do we put it? If we can find a suitable location, I would be happy to have it in Del Mar.”

“We planned nine stations for the system,” Zdon said. “Most of them seemed to be very clear and obvious choices. But some sites, particularly the Del Mar station, has been a stickier problem.

“If we can’t decide on a site, it would start to have an effect on the project. But we have until July to determine a site, and I think we can meet the deadline.”

Transportation officials are reluctant to bypass Del Mar because they anticipate that it will be one of the line’s busiest stations. A patronage study estimates that at least 3,000 patrons will use the commuter rail daily when it begins operating in 1992. And it is expected that at least 250-300 commuters will board in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas and Del Mar each day.

“It would not be a good thing not to have that station,” Zdon said. “You just have to hope that it will be chosen.” But if the matter cannot be resolved, a Del Mar station will be skipped, he added.

400 Spaces Needed

According to Zdon, the existing Del Mar station can only accommodate 90 cars. To adequately serve Amtrak’s inter-city rail patrons and commuter rail riders, the Del Mar station needs 400 parking spaces, he said.

On Monday, planners are scheduled to present these alternative sites to the council:

- A 4-acre lot, currently occupied by a restaurant, between Camino Del Mar and Via de la Valle.

- A 5-acre triangular piece of property south of the San Dieguito River, between the Santa Fe Railway tracks and Jimmy Durante Boulevard.

- A 4-acre site next to the practice race track on the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Transportation planners will ask the City Council for permission to begin preliminary studies on each of the sites to determine its cost and environmental and traffic effects on the community, Zdon said.

But a couple of council members have expressed reservations about the alternatives.

“I was alarmed by a couple of the locations suggested,” said Councilwoman Eisenberg. “In one of the options, you can only enter and leave through one road, Jimmy Durante Boulevard. And that’s a problem because that’s generally clogged during the racing and fair season.

“The other one would require condemnation of private property. I believe there could be very much of problem.”

Mayor John Gillies is worried that the site proposed near the San Dieguito River could damage the nearby lagoon.

Meanwhile, Zdon said transportation planners are pushing ahead to make sure the commuter rail service begins on time.

On Monday, a joint powers authority--which will include MTDB, NCTDB, Caltrans, Sandag and the Los Angeles and Orange county transportation commissions--is scheduled to be established, Zdon said. The authority will serve primarily as an advocate for inter-city rail improvement and try to obtain state and federal funds to finance rail projects. Such coordinated efforts will be needed to finance the purchase of Santa Fe Railway’s rail corridor, which will be used for the commuter service.