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 scen...
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