Planning commission approves coastal permits for 4407 Park Drive home

The Carlsbad Planning Commission voted unanimously Aug. 5 to approve a coastal development permit and Habitat Management Plan permit for a proposed single‑family residence at 4407 Park Drive.

Senior planner Van Lewin told commissioners the vacant lot, which includes an open‑space conservation easement on its western half, would host a two‑story, roughly 5,000‑square‑foot home designed to avoid impacts to coastal sage scrub. "The project has shown that it will avoid impacts to that habitat," Van Lewin said during the staff presentation. Staff recommended a CEQA categorical exemption for new construction and found the proposal consistent with the general plan, zoning, habitat management plan and the local coastal program.

Commissioners asked staff to clarify reviews of the fuel‑modification and fire‑safety measures and whether a homeowners association or other entity maintains the conservation easement. Van Lewin said the project was reviewed by the city’s natural resources manager, the fire marshal’s office and the city’s landscape contract reviewer; maintenance of the easement is typically the responsibility of an HOA or a private entity, not the city. After discussion, Commissioner Fitzgerald moved to approve the staff recommendation and the motion passed unanimously.

The approval concludes the commission’s consideration of the project; any appeals would follow the city’s coastal appeal rules.