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Tag: San Marcos

  • Controversial North County housing development wins approval over fire concerns

    A controversial 453-unit housing development has been unanimously approved by the San Diego County Planning Commission in Harmony Grove, an unincorporated rural residential area in North County sandwiched between Escondido and San Marcos.

    Several neighbors spoke out at the meeting over the controversial proposal because it does not include a secondary access road to escape wildfires.

    They fear entrapment if a wildfire came from the direction of the single dead-end road.

    Winding approval

    The project, Harmony Grove Village South, had been before the commission in 2018 and later approved by the Board of Supervisors.

    However, CEQA litigation from the Sierra Club, residents and other parties had delayed construction.

    The board rescinded approval in 2022 after a trial court sided with residents. However, a state appellate court then found all but one aspect of the project complied with CEQA.

    The aftermath of the Cocos Fire in 2014 left the historic Harmony Grove Spiritualist Association decimated. (Photo by Eric Neubauer)

    The same project as in 2018 is now headed back before the board for the third time, with solar panels and deed-restricted affordable housing added. Project manager David Kovach expects to bring the proposal to the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 1.

    Kovach, representing the developer, and housing advocates at the hearing said Harmony Grove Village South will address San Diego’s housing crisis by adding stock to the missing middle.

    The development includes single- and multi-family units. The developer has also won support from Local 89 by promising to use union labor for construction.

    Current residents of Harmony Grove noted that living in the car-dependent area will still be pricey, even for those in the designated affordable housing. Many are not able to get fire insurance outside of the notoriously expensive California FAIR Plan due to being in a CAL FIRE mapped high-risk fire zone.

    Summer Light, whose house was the only one to survive in the historic Harmony Grove Spiritualist Association during the Cocos Fire, warned new residents to budget $10,000 per year for fire insurance.

    Fire trap

    Residents concerned about future fires and evacuations on the dead-end road the development is located on say that they hope the elected supervisors will be more thoughtful about their decision.

    They wanted the developer to put in a secondary access road so residents would have more than one route to leave depending on the direction a fire travels.

    People who will live past the development on the dead-end road fear that big money will steamroll their concerns about fire safety.

    “The reality is that that this community doesn’t have a very expansive road network. It’s just one main road,” said Elfin Forest Harmony Grove Town Council vice chair JP Theberge in a phone call.

    In the 2014 Cocos Fire, which destroyed 30 homes in Harmony Grove, that 1.5 mile road to Escondido was gridlocked for more than an hour during the evacuation. Residents work together on brush abatement but are surrounded by 15,000 acres of open space.

    A map with the community of Harmony Grove highlighted with one road and arrows identifying evacuation routes.
    Tom Cova, a geography professor at the University of Utah, was hired as a consultant by residents to examine the area’s roads for fire evacuations. Cova estimated with Harmony Grove Village and Harmony Grove Village South, an additional 3,500 cars on the 1.5 mile road would take seven hours to evacuate, as shown in the map above. (Map courtesy JP Theberge)

    Hundreds more cars would need to use that road to evacuate if the development is finished. A consultant hired by residents, Tom Cova, a leader in the nascent fire evacuation sciences, estimated it would take more than seven hours for all residents to evacuate once the development is occupied.

    The appellate court ruled the fire safety and evacuation plans in the 2018 environmental impact report were adequate. County staff consulted with the Rancho Santa Fe fire department and sheriff on fire evacuation plans. No further changes were made to the project proposal.

    Rancho Santa Fe Fire Chief Dave McQuead said at the hearing that in the evacuation plan, a third lane on Country Club Drive could be substituted for the secondary egress. In that plan, two lanes of the dead-end road would be used by evacuees while the third would be used by emergency vehicles.

    McQuead also stated that evacuation methods have improved since 2014 due to evacuating zones instead of squares, as well as using the Genasys app, which came to prominence during this year’s Palisades Fire, to communicate with residents.

    The Cocos Fire was not the first fire to hit the 110-year-old community, nor do residents believe it will be the last.

    “This community wouldn’t exist without a very intense focus on our fire safety,” Theberge said.


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  • A ‘Trump Train’ convoy surrounded a Biden-Harris bus. Was it political violence?

    A ‘Trump Train’ convoy surrounded a Biden-Harris bus. Was it political violence?

    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury will soon decide whether a convoy of supporters of then-President Donald Trump violently intimidated former Democratic lawmaker Wendy Davis and two others on a Biden-Harris campaign bus when a so-called “Trump Train” boxed them in for more than an hour on a Texas highway days before the 2020 election.

    The trial, which began on Sept. 9, resumes Monday and is expected to last another week.

    Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that six of the Trump Train drivers violated state and federal law. Lawyers for the defendants said they did not conspire against the Democrats on the bus and that their actions are protected speech.

    Here’s what else to know:

    What happened on Oct. 30, 2020?

    Dozens of cars and trucks organized by a local Trump Train group swarmed the bus on its way from San Antonio to Austin. It was the last day of early voting in Texas for the 2020 general election, and the bus was scheduled to make a stop in San Marcos for an event at Texas State University.

    Video recorded by Davis shows pickup trucks with large Trump flags aggressively slowing down and boxing in the bus as it tried to move away from the Trump Train. One defendant hit a campaign volunteer’s car while the trucks occupied all lanes of traffic, slowing the bus and everyone around it to a 15 mph crawl.

    Those on the bus — including Davis, a campaign staffer and the driver — repeatedly called 911 asking for help and a police escort through San Marcos, but when no law enforcement arrived, the campaign canceled the event and pushed forward to Austin.

    San Marcos settled a separate lawsuit filed by the same three Democrats against the police, agreeing to pay $175,000 and mandate political violence training for law enforcement.

    Davis testified that she felt she was being “taken hostage” and has sought treatment for anxiety.

    In the days leading up to the event, Democrats were also intimidated, harassed and received death threats, the lawsuit said.

    “I feel like they were enjoying making us afraid,” Davis testified. “It’s traumatic for all of us to revisit that day.”

    What’s the plaintiffs’ argument?

    In opening statements, an attorney for the plaintiffs said convoy organizers targeted the bus in a calculated attack to intimidate the Democrats in violation of the “Ku Klux Klan Act,” an 1871 federal law that bans political violence and intimidation.

    “We’re here because of actions that put people’s lives in danger,” said Samuel Hall, an attorney with the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. The plaintiffs, he said, were “literally driven out of town by a swarm of trucks.”

    The six Trump Train drivers succeeded in making the campaign cancel its remaining events in Texas in a war they believed was “between good and evil,” Hall said.

    Two nonprofit advocacy groups, Texas Civil Rights Project and Protect Democracy, also are representing the three plaintiffs.

    What’s the defense’s argument?

    Attorneys for the defendants, who are accused of driving and organizing the convoy, said they did not conspire to swarm the Democrats on the bus, which could have exited the highway at any point.

    “This was a political rally. This was not some conspiracy to intimidate people,” said attorney Jason Greaves, who is representing two of the drivers.

    The defense also argued that their clients’ actions were protected speech and that the trial is a concerted effort to “drain conservatives of their money,” according to Francisco Canseco, a lawyer for three of the defendants.

    “It was a rah-rah group that sought to support and advocate for a candidate of their choice in a very loud way,” Canseco said during opening statements.

    The defense lost a bid last month to have the case ruled in their favor without a trial. The judge wrote that “assaulting, intimidating, or imminently threatening others with force is not protected expression.”

    ___

    Lathan is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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  • First Watch Elevates Brunch With New San Marcos Restaurant

    First Watch Elevates Brunch With New San Marcos Restaurant


    SAN MARCOS, Texas, June 17, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    First Watch, the leading Daytime Dining restaurant serving breakfast, brunch and lunch, has opened a new location in San Marcos, Texas on Monday, June 17. The new restaurant brings a chef-inspired menu and rotating seasonal offerings to a 3,882-square-foot space that seats more than 205 people, provides outside dining under a covered patio and serves signature juices at an indoor brunch bar. Located at 1506 N IH 35, Suite 101 at Aquarena Crossing, the restaurant will be open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

    To celebrate the opening, customers who dine in-restaurant Monday, June 17-Friday, June 21, will receive free coffee with their meal. In addition, the first 120 customers to visit the new restaurant will also receive a custom, reusable travel mug.

    “Culinary creativity meets family-friendly ambiance in our new San Marcos restaurant. We’re excited to serve up a memorable dining experience where every meal is a chance to bring families closer together,” said Dan Anfinson, COO of Mac Haik Restaurant Group (MHRG). 

    First Watch’s menu takes an elevated approach to traditional breakfast, brunch and lunch. All dishes are made to order using fresh ingredients in a kitchen without heat lamps, microwaves or deep fryers. Fan favorites include Avocado Toast, Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and Million Dollar Bacon. 

    From the dedicated indoor bar, the restaurant juices daily using ingredients like Fuji Apple, kale and beet to make favorites like the Morning Meditation (made with orange, lemon, turmeric, organic ginger, agave nectar and beet). The new restaurant also features an array of brunch cocktails and brews its socially responsible Project Sunrise coffee, sourced by women coffee farmers based in South America. 

    Five times a year, First Watch offers a revolving seasonal menu that follows the sun to source the highest quality ingredients, wherever and whenever they are in season. This ever-evolving menu has items like Barbacoa Quesadilla Benedict, Elote Mexican Street Corn Hash and Watermelon Wake-Up fresh juice, among many others. The San Marcos restaurant will offer its first seasonal menu in 2024. 

    The restaurant will employ approximately 45 people and operate on a one-shift-a-day, “No Night Shifts Ever” approach that enables its teams to enjoy their evenings and build a better quality of life. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply at careers-mh.com. 

    First Watch serves its entire menu seven days a week for pickup, delivery and dine-in service. 
     

    About First Watch
    First Watch is an award-winning Daytime Dining concept serving made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch using fresh ingredients across its network of neighborhood restaurants. A recipient of hundreds of local “Best Breakfast” and “Best Brunch” accolades, First Watch’s chef-driven menu includes elevated executions of classic favorites along with specialties such as the Quinoa Power Bowl®, Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos, Avocado Toast, Chickichanga, Morning Meditation, Spiked Lavender Lemonade and its signature Million Dollar Bacon. In 2023, First Watch was recognized as the top restaurant brand in Yelp’s inaugural list of the top 50 most-loved brands in the U.S. In 2023 and 2022, First Watch was named a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace® in Newsweek by the Best Practice Institute. In 2022, First Watch was awarded a sought-after MenuMasters honor by Nation’s Restaurant News for its seasonal Braised Short Rib Omelet and recognized with ADP’s coveted Culture at Work Award. First Watch operates more than 530 restaurants in 29 states. For more information, visit www.firstwatch.com.

    About Mac Haik Enterprises LTD (MHE)
    Mac Haik Restaurant Group (MHRG) is a division of Mac Haik Enterprises LTD (MHE), a diversified holding company based in Houston, TX. MHE is a major investor in three rapidly growing fast casual restaurant brands, Original ChopShop, Slapfish and Due Cucina, and one of the largest franchisees of First Watch Restaurants. MHE also owns Mac Haik Outdoor Media, Mac Haik Hospitality, and Mac Haik Automotive Group which encompasses 23 car dealerships. The 11 affiliated companies of MHE have engaged in the development, ownership and management of commercial real estate and healthcare facilities, asset acquisition and disposition, facilities management, property management, leasing, project management, construction, plus janitorial services, as well as hotel ownership. The overall MHE companies employ over 3,000 employees. To learn more about MHRG, please visit www.machaik-enterprises.com.

    Source: Mac Haik Restaurant Group

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  • Built-to-Rent Housing Filling In Gaps Between Major Metros

    Built-to-Rent Housing Filling In Gaps Between Major Metros

    The pattern shows up in many areas of the country: development activity fills in between two metropolitan areas, typically along one or more highways that connect them. Orlando to Tampa along I-4 is another prime example, and there are dozens more around the country.

    From New Braunfels to San Marcos, as well as closer-in suburbs, the stretch between Austin and San Antonio is starting to fill in, providing young families and singles with an alternative to home ownership. The map below, featuring data from CoStar and supplemented by original research by Hunter Housing Economics, shows the built-to rent (”BTR”) units that have already been built, as well as those that are under construction and proposed in that stretch. BTR housing fills the heretofore unserved set of households who want a suburban place with a yard or some small patch of private outdoor space, but who cannot afford (or choose not to buy) a single-family home.

    A large proportion of the BTR developments now completing units in areas like San Marcos and New Braunfels are single-family detached homes, and as one gets closer to the larger cities of Austin or San Antonio, one finds more townhomes and more of the “horizontal apartment” style (also referred to by the more palatable “cottages”), which gives tenants a better living experience than typical apartments, in that they offer a ground-floor entry and usually a fully-detached home, with windows on four sides, and a small backyard. This type of rental product is just starting to take off, being met by strong demand from singles, couples, retirees, and people who own dogs. (The advantage for dog owners is that they can let the dog out the back door instead of putting them on a leash and walking them down corridors and/or elevators to get outside).

    Like the cottages, built-to-rent townhomes tend to get developed closer to the major cities. Townhomes typically offer more square footage, but also more shared walls, and are commonly found in “infill” types of locations. There is evidence of market support farther away from the major metros, as long as they are in good proximity to schools and shopping. Areas south of Austin like Buda and Kyle are experiencing strong population and household growth, amplified by a continued migration of Californians looking for a lower-tax environment and lower cost of living in general. New schools are popping up there, which appeal to the new residents. Rent concessions that has been in effect a year back are now being removed, boosting effective rents. Family demand is under-served in this region. Consequently, rents on new townhomes or duplexes in this area can be as high as $2,600 per month for 3-bedroom units and $3,000 per month for 4-bedroom units, if they include well thought-out floorplans and better features and amenities than the existing homes in the area. The cost to own similar units is close to $3,200 per month.

    There is a significant rent premium over individually-owned rental homes, particularly homes that are not in a master-planned community. Research by Hunter

    Housing Economics this year quantified the premium in the southern U.S. as $265 per month. On a percentage basis, renters are willing to pay 13.3% more for a newly built rental townhome than one that is not new, according to the survey results. The premium over a rental apartment meanwhile came in at 24.3%.

    In the area north of San Antonio, BTR projects such as Pradera, Village at Vickory Grove, Eschelon at Monterrey Village, and Springs at Alamo Ranch have performed well. Rents in this area can get up to $2,500 per month.

    Another example of this pattern of “filling in” between major cities is in Florida, along the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando. This map shows the built-for-rent

    developments that already exist in Tampa, extending mostly northward right now. From the other direction, spilling out of Orlando, there have been some BTR projects in Kissimmee and St. Cloud, due south of Orlando, and also to the west, mostly near Interstate-4.

    Built-to-rent development activity is slowing now, and we will certainly see a sharp reduction in BTR starts next year, due to a shortage of capital. Developers who are planning projects to enter the market in 2025/2026 are likely to find a smaller number of projects opening up around them. Some of our clients are getting into position to pick up what might emerge as “distressed” BTR projects next year, when it is expected that some investors who tied up land will find themselves financially unable to close on the purchase. The lack of capital in this space could represent an opportunity for well-capitalized investors to pick up a contract or otherwise get into a deal that is not currently available. Next year should be an interesting one for BTR investors and developers.

    Brad Hunter, Contributor

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