Alliance given OK to enter, clean up Pacific View

A group that plans to turn the vacant Pacific View property into a community arts center has been granted permission to access the site.

The Encinitas City Council on Feb. 24 voted unanimously to adopt an agreement allowing the Arts, Culture and Ecology Alliance to enter the 2.83-acre property, clean up the site and make initial repairs. The document is seen as an interim step while the council and Alliance hash out a long-term agreement.

“I’m eager to move forward with this,” Deputy Mayor Lisa Shaffer said.

Under the agreement, the Alliance is required to take out an insurance policy covering those who step foot on the property. It also states that improvements can only be made from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and that the Alliance should do its best to avoid disturbing the neighborhood.

After asking a number of questions, councilmembers said they were satisfied that the agreement protects the city from liability issues.

In September, the Alliance’s proposal for the property — arts workshops, theater, cutting-edge agriculture and cultural events — won the tentative support of the council.

Alliance members didn’t speak at the Feb. 24 meeting, but have urged the council to adopt the agreement so they can get the ball rolling on the site, at 608 Third Street in downtown Encinitas.

Pacific View has sat empty since 2003. The city bought the property from the Encinitas Union School District in 2014 for $10 million.