The Encinitas City Council will choose a design direction for a new pedestrian crossing and sidewalk upgrades on South Coast Highway 101 at its Wednesday, Sept. 23 meeting.

The crossing, near the Solana Beach city boundary at Harbaugh Seaside Trails, and a separate sidewalk-widening project stretching to the North Cardiff State Beach driveway are backed by more than $2 million in state and federal safety grants. Council members will tell staff which project configuration to advance. This is not a final approval vote.

Both projects already have funding. The pedestrian crossing received $349,920 in state Highway Safety Improvement Program funds, with a $38,880 local match. The sidewalk enhancements won $1,676,610 in federal funds, with a $186,290 local match. The council accepted the sidewalk grant on Oct. 22, 2025, and the crossing grant on Nov. 12, 2025, according to city grant records. Design is underway, according to a July city update.

Storm drain plan arrives ahead of El Niño season

Also on the agenda: a Citywide Storm Action Plan presentation timed to a forecast El Niño season. Meteorologists expect longer, more frequent storms from October through April, and the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 15 directed staff to build a Severe Weather Community Preparedness Resource Hub.

Encinitas maintains roughly 65 miles of underground storm drain pipes and 1,789 drain structures. Some pipes predate the city's 1986 incorporation and are more than 75 years old. The city launched its first-ever citywide condition assessment of those pipes earlier this year.

The consent calendar for the same meeting includes a $1,255,225 contract with Nu Line Technologies, LLC for drainage rehabilitation and the Lake Drive Storm Drain Lining Project. A separate consent item addresses emergency storm drain repairs at Cottonwood Creek Park.

The city's FY 2026-27 work plan lists a short-term flooding response strategy for Leucadia as a priority, according to council work plan documents.

More grant applications, Dark Sky Week and short-term rentals

Council members will also consider authorizing the city manager to apply for new grants through the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Active Transportation Program Cycle 8 and Highway Safety Improvement Program Cycle 13. The specific projects targeted for those applications have not been publicly identified.

Deputy Mayor Jim O'Hara is sponsoring a separate item directing the city to participate in International Dark Sky Week from April 12 through April 19, 2027. The proposal calls for turning off non-essential exterior lighting at City Hall, parks and administrative buildings after 9 p.m. that week. It also asks Public Works to review city light fixtures and prioritize warm-spectrum LED retrofits along sensitive ecological borders, and to partner with the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and local astronomy organizations including the San Diego Astronomy Association for telescope viewings and nocturnal wildlife walks.

O'Hara has been active on pedestrian infrastructure issues as well. At a May 26 neighborhood meeting on Leucadia's at-grade rail crossings, he told the crowd the city would do all it can to "move forward in the best way possible" on restoring pedestrian access, as the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

A public hearing on short-term rental regulation updates is also scheduled for the Sept. 23 meeting.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on Cox Channel 19, Spectrum Channel 24 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.