DATE: September 2, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Development Services Department
TITLE: CAPISTRANO NEIGHBORHOOD ACCESS STUDY
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff requests City Council receive the Capistrano Access Study and provide direction to staff.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Vehicular access to and from the Capistrano Neighborhood (Capistrano) is impacted by its proximity to the Main Gate at Camp Pendleton. During periods of heavy base traffic, it can be challenging to enter of exit Capistrano due to the fact that all of the neighborhood’s access points are in close proximity to the Main Gate. This restricted access condition has raised questions of how traffic would be managed during an emergency evacuation event.
On April 22, 2026, City Council directed staff to review secondary ingress-egress options as well as emergency evacuation options for Capistrano, prepare a study, and return with recommendations for consideration. In response, Engineering staff, in collaboration with the Police Department, Fire Department and Camp Pendleton representatives, evaluated ten (10) alternatives, including one option presented from a Capistrano Neighborhood resident. Attachment 1 shows each alternative evaluated including its pros, cons, estimated cost in today’s dollars, permitting requirements, anticipated time frame(s) for completion, and level of difficulty to implement.
Staff also engaged Camp Pendleton representatives to gauge their receptiveness to the various options. Two of the options (Option Nos. 9 and 10) connect directly with the base and would require a Memorandum of Understanding to implement. Base representatives indicated a preference of Option No. 8 or Option No. 6, in that order, and further stated that Option No. 9 (connecting Capistrano Drive to Carnation Street on base) would not be supported. It was further noted that Option No. 10 (opening the Main Gate to evacuees) would be considered only in an extreme evacuation scenario. Base staff indicated that, should the City wish to pursue Option Nos. 1 through 8, the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) could be a potential source of up to $20M in federal funding and base representatives would be willing to consider supporting a funding application. Based on its initial analysis, staff believes that Options 6 and 7 (connecting the former Loretta Street right of way in Capistrano to SR-76) represent the most practical options.
Following City Council direction, Fire Department and Police Department staff have also assessed possible evacuation routes under existing street conditions. There exists a general ingress/egress plan and standard operating procedure in place, however, it is important to note that evacuation plans are dynamic in nature and are heavily dependent on specific circumstances that come with each incident.
Development and Purpose of the Evacuation Procedure
The evacuation procedure (Attachment 2) was developed by the City’s Emergency Management Coordinator in conjunction with police and fire personnel, drawing on current department policies and procedures for evacuations. It also incorporates the County of San Diego’s evacuation framework, including use of the Genasys Protect platform for zone-based alerting. The plan’s purpose is to establish a common operational framework (Unified Command, traffic metering, emergency access preservation, and communications protocols) for evacuating the Capistrano Neighborhood under existing limited ingress-egress conditions. It is intended to serve as a companion to this Access Study. The Access Study evaluates long-term capital solutions to the corridor constraint, while the evacuation plan addresses how police and fire would manage an evacuation today, before any of those improvements are in place.
The Fire Department and Emergency Management Coordinator often conducts coordinated outreach consistent with Section 7 of the plan. This is done citywide rather than neighborhood by neighborhood, and includes periodic social media campaigns encouraging residents to download the Genasys Protect app so they receive targeted evacuation alerts, along with free one-hour disaster preparedness classes offered throughout the City. The Emergency Management Coordinator also offers Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) courses that train residents to support evacuation and response efforts. Residents of the Capistrano Neighborhood are also eligible to participate in the CERT Program.
Staff is requesting City Council to provide direction to staff to further investigate up to three (3) of the presented options, if desired. If Council chooses to direct staff to further investigate the selected option(s), staff will return in early 2027 with a study containing more refined costs and more detailed design and permitting requirements, including potential funding sources.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with the current requested action.
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Not applicable.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
Does not apply.
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Prepared by: Brian Thomas, Acting Development Services Director/City Engineer
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Capistrano Neighborhood Ingress-Egress Considerations
2. Evacuation Procedure