Why is the city changing its approach to managing growth? 
With most of the major new planned residential development wrapping up and new state laws changing how new housing is approved, different tools are needed to maintain the services, infrastructure and facilities provided by the city that contribute to Carlsbad’s excellent quality of life.  

What are the changes in state law? 
In the past few years, the state of California has passed new laws designed to make it easier to build housing, especially affordable housing, by reducing the grounds cities can use to deny a project. State courts have also ruled that residential growth caps, such as what is included in Carlsbad’s growth management program, are no longer allowed. 

What has been done so far to update the city's approach to maintaining Carlsbad's quality of life as it grows?
The City Council appointed a citizens committee to help ensure a variety of community perspectives are considered as a new approach is developed. The committee focused on standards that should be maintained as the city grows, such as the amount of park space, library services and roads that will be needed to serve the needs of future residents. The committee completed its work in April 2023 with a report, which was accepted by the City Council in July 2023.

How was the public involved? 
The committee included residents from all parts of the city, members of city boards and commissions, business owners and others committed to preserving Carlsbad's quality of life. The public was invited to provide comments to the committee as it completed its work, all committee meetings were open to the public and they were livestreamed on the city’s website. See more details about the committee's work on the committee webpage. 

What happens next? 
City staff will return to the City Council in spring 2024 with a timeline and cost estimates for the next steps to update development standards, including technical studies to determine how the standards proposed by the committee can be linked to developer fees.

The current growth management program is integrated into many city planning documents, the municipal code (city laws) and other financing plans, policies and processes. All of that will need to be updated, which will be a multi-year process.