The City of Encinitas and the Encinitas Union School District have settled every outstanding permit dispute blocking the Paul Ecke Central Elementary rebuild. Rough grading is scheduled to begin the week of Oct. 13.

A joint statement posted Tuesday, Oct. 13, confirmed that disagreements over drainage, grading, traffic queuing, frontage improvements and right-of-way dedications have all been resolved through what both agencies called daily communication and coordination.

The breakthrough ends months of public conflict over the project, estimated at $60 million according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. More than 500 students have been scattered across two temporary campuses since the 100-year-old school was torn down in August.

What comes next

The Administrative Hearing for Phase 2 of the project's Coastal Development Permit is set for Oct. 27. An approximately 20-day appeal period follows. On-site building is expected to begin after that process wraps up.

No revised reopening date has been announced. EUSD officials previously acknowledged the school would not reopen by the original August 2027 target, according to the Union-Tribune.

Displaced students

Kindergarten through third-grade students are attending El Camino Creek Elementary. Fourth through sixth graders are at Park Dale Lane Elementary.

Parent Christina Valencia told CBS 8 on Oct. 13: "I just need us to get shovels in the ground to get our kids back home."

How the dispute unfolded

The permit conflict centered on traffic circulation on Vulcan Avenue during drop-off and pick-up, stormwater drainage plans and right-of-way dedications. City and district leaders met Oct. 1 to work through the issues, then rescheduled a follow-up from Oct. 8 to Oct. 13 to allow more evaluation time.

The Encinitas City Council held a special closed session Oct. 6 to discuss potential litigation tied to the project. In July, the EUSD Board of Trustees voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution 01-2627, which would have exempted the project from local zoning ordinances.

At a late-September council meeting, parent Mary Anne Mendenhall warned that a two-year delay could add $9 million to the project's cost, citing relatives in the construction industry. City Manager Jennifer Campbell told parents at that meeting that "development in Encinitas is not necessarily easy, even for school districts."

The joint statement acknowledged that the developments "do not erase the frustration experienced by PEC students, families, and staff."