The Los Angeles-based developer behind The
Grove shopping and entertainment complex waded into Carlsbad´s strawberry
fields on Tuesday to launch his plan for a similar project in North County.

Caruso Affiliated CEO and founder Rick Caruso
has been meeting with community members for more than two years to talk about
his plans to create a destination shopping center off Interstate 5 in Carlsbad
– where the city´s iconic agricultural roots still run deep.

At a news conference Tuesday, Caruso unveiled a
proposal that encompassed a 203.5 acre property at the edge of the Agua
Hedionda Lagoon and focused more on what would be preserved at the site than
what would be developed.

He said 85 percent of the property – or roughly
175 acres – would be protected for farming, public nature trails, picnic areas
and walkways. The remaining 15 percent would become a retail and dining
destination, offering “an open-air, pedestrian-friendly shopping experience,”
he said.

The focus on preservation isn´t surprising,
given that in 2006 Carlsbad voters passed a ballot measure declaring roughly
300 acres of agricultural land in that area remain permanent open space.

Caruso filed a notice with the Carlsbad city
clerk´s office Tuesday stating his intent to circulate a petition for a
citizen-led initiative that would create a new “specific plan” for the
property. His proposal must also be approved by the California Coastal
Commission.

The project has already found support from the
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation and a member of a longtime Carlsbad farming
family.

“This plan is the right way to conserve open
space in Carlsbad,” said Maureen Simons, chairwoman of the foundation´s board,
which has unanimously endorsed Caruso´s project.

“My priority is protecting and strengthening
the lagoon,” she said.

The show of force was in stark contrast to
eight years ago, when overwhelming community opposition forced Lennar Homes to
give up on plans for a large mixed-use project in the same area.

Not everyone supports the plan. Longtime
Carlsbad resident Barbara Tice said she sees some drawbacks, particularly
traffic, the high-voltage power lines that cross the site, and the business the
center will take from other shopping malls in the area.

“Anybody who gets out on the freeways knows
they are already crowded,” Tice said.

Caruso offered no specifics Tuesday about what
stores or eateries he hoped to attract to the Carlsbad project. He said
additional details will be released in the coming months.

The Grove, in the Fairfax District of Los
Angeles, incorporated a historical farmers market on its property. The shopping
center includes the high-end clothing store Nordstrom and features Art Deco
architecture, broad plazas, a central park and courtyards.

Residents made it clear in the community
meetings that outdoor recreation is a top priority, Caruso said, and so the
trails and an outdoor classroom overlooking the lagoon will be built before any
commercial activities open.

Carlsbad residents Bill Dominguez, Carlton Lund
and Maureen Simons signed the notice for the new citizens initiative, with Caruso
listed as the primary sponsor. To qualify for the ballot, the group must obtain
the signatures of 15 percent, or 9,784, of Carlsbad´s registered voters.

The city attorney has 15 days to provide a
ballot title and measure summary, after which proponents may publish a notice
and begin gathering signatures.

If enough signatures are gathered, the City
Council has three options: it can adopt the initiative without changes and
avoid an election; put the initiative on the ballot and call a special
election; or order a report to study the effects of the initiative.

Caruso said Tuesday he´s kept Coastal
Commission´s staff well-informed of the project´s progress, that the staff has
been receptive, and that he expects the commission´s approval.

Jimmy Ukegawa, president of the Carlsbad
Strawberry Company, also endorsed the plan. He said his family has been farming
land along the Agua Hedionda Lagoon since the 1950s.

The Caruso proposal will allow Ukegawa to
continue to grow strawberries there and to sell them there and, under a
“farm-to-table” plan, to sell fruits and vegetables served in restaurants on
the property.

“It makes strawberry farming here both
sustainable and economically viable,” Ukegawa said. “I´ll be able to pass
strawberry farming along to my kids.”