DATE: November 5, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Development Services Department
TITLE: RESOLUTION CONTINUING THE TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF LAGOON VIEW DRIVE WHILE RESERVING ACCESS FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLES AND ACCESS FOR STORM DRAIN AND OTHER MAINTENANCE
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution continuing the temporary closure of Lagoon View Drive while reserving access solely for emergency response vehicles and various maintenance activities.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Spanning approximately 0.35 miles between the cities of Oceanside and Carlsbad, Lagoon View Drive was originally part of Route 14 prior to the construction of Highway 78. The area is bounded by Highway 78 to the north, Jefferson Street to the east, and the protected waters of the Buena Vista Lagoon to the south and west. Lagoon View Drive is not open to through traffic; however, it is used occasionally for helicopter evacuations of crash victims from the surrounding highways and as a means for emergency response vehicles to access the lagoon during fires, hazardous spills, and rescues. The road is also used to maintain a dual 72-inch City storm drain outfall that serves the Fire Mountain community. There are no other public utilities in Lagoon View Drive.
In prior years, the proximity of Lagoon View Drive to the protected waters of the Buena Vista Lagoon and seclusion from surrounding neighborhoods raised concerns about illegal littering and the dumping of waste from RVs and homeless encampments. Law enforcement data showed a substantial increase in transient and illegal activities prior to its closure.
Vehicle Code Section 21101.4 authorizes the temporary closure of highways by local authorities when, after a public hearing and based on the recommendation of the police department, the local authority finds and determines that serious and continual criminal activity or illegal dumping exists along the portion of the highway. In addition, the temporary road closure must be based on findings that: (1) the road is not designated as a through highway or arterial street; (2) vehicular or pedestrian traffic on the road contributes to the criminal activity or illegal dumping; and (3) the closure will not substantially adversely affect traffic flow.
As a measure to minimize the adverse environmental impacts caused by such illicit and criminal activities on Lagoon View Drive and to limit vehicular access to the area, in June 2022 staff (including the Oceanside Police Department) recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the temporary closure of Lagoon View Drive to the public, reserving access solely for emergency response and maintenance vehicles (Attachment 2).
On June 8, 2022, the City Council approved the temporary closure of Lagoon View Drive (see Attachment 3 for additional background information).
On November 1, 2023, the City Council approved an extension to continue the closure of Lagoon Drive. This item constitutes the second extension 18-month request to continue the closure of Lagoon Drive.
The following is a list of staff observations gathered since the City Council’s extension approval request in November 2023:
• Staff regularly monitored the area to evaluate its effectiveness in reducing nuisance activity. During the closure, there have been no vehicle campers and only occasional foot traffic from individuals experiencing homelessness within the boundaries.
• While total trash collection volumes prior to the closure are unavailable, encampment-related cleanups were previously required two to three times per week. That frequency has dropped significantly, with cleanups now required only once or twice per month.
• Prior to the closure of Lagoon View Drive, Public Works, and Oceanside Police Department staff received numerous service requests and complaints related to activities occurring on-site. Public Works staff indicated that prior to the closure, crews responded three to five times per week to remove trash (outside of scheduled street sweeping and encampment cleanups) and clear debris. Since the closure, requests for service and complaints related to Lagoon View Drive have stopped. The Crime Suppression and Encampment Teams have reported no recent issues and consider the continued closure to be a benefit to the community.
For all public hearings related to the temporary road closure, staff is required to provide written notice to all residents and property owners, as shown on the last equalized assessment roll, whose property is adjacent to the portion of roadway proposed to be closed. In this case, Caltrans is the only such property owner and has been notified of the public hearing. As of this writing, no comments have been received from Caltrans. Based on the information provided above, staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution continuing the temporary closure of Lagoon View Drive for the next 18-months, while reserving access solely for emergency response vehicles and various maintenance activities.
FISCAL IMPACT
Fiscal impacts are being absorbed through other departmental funded projects related to homeless encampment clean-up and other efforts.
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
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Prepared by: Brian Thomas, City Engineer
Reviewed by: Darlene Nicandro, Development Services Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. City Council Resolution with Exhibit A
3. 2022 City Council Staff Report
4. 2023 City Council Staff Report