Carlsbad’s Planning Commission has given the green light to a five-story, 397-unit apartment complex on a roughly 9.8-acre site along Salk Avenue, near the southwest corner of El Camino Real and College Boulevard. The plan sets aside 59 deed-restricted apartments for lower-income households and leans on a state density bonus to exceed the city’s usual zoning limits. The vote moves the project into its next round of permits, although the approval can still be appealed.
Project Details
Developer Hanover R.S. Limited Partnership lists the Salk Avenue site as a pre-development Hanover property with 397 units, according to the Hanover Company. Plans call for a mid-rise building wrapped around a five-story parking structure, with three connected courtyards that fit into the site’s natural canyon. The Planning Commission approved the site development plan after a public hearing, as reported by inewsource.
Unit Mix and Amenities
City project filings show a mix of four studios, 253 one-bedroom units at about 744 square feet each, 112 two-bedroom units at about 1,110 square feet, and 28 three-bedroom units at about 1,371 square feet. The design adds roughly 27,000 square feet of common recreation space, including courtyards, a pool, fitness center, media room and a golf simulator. Three outdoor courtyard areas sit at ground level, with outdoor seating, fire pits and barbecues, and a five-story parking garage tucked at the rear of the site, according to the city documents. A full breakdown is available in the Salk Avenue materials from the City of Carlsbad.
How The Density Bonus Changed The Plan
The developer used a state density bonus to stack on 103 apartments beyond the 294-unit cap the site would otherwise have under local zoning, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The land was rezoned from industrial to residential in 2024 as part of Carlsbad’s housing-element rezoning, a move intended to create enough capacity to meet state housing requirements.
Reaction At The Hearing
Commissioners largely welcomed the income-restricted units while still voicing concerns about the project’s size and the amount of open space it leaves. Commission Chair Roy Meenes called the design very appealing for the area, according to The Coast News. Developer representative Joe Gambill told the commission the layout was meant to take advantage of the beautiful views and said the parking deck would sit down in the canyon to soften visual impacts.
What Comes Next
Under city rules, Planning Commission decisions become final unless someone files an appeal to the City Council within the allowed period, which would trigger a de novo review by the council, according to the Carlsbad Municipal Code. The project’s environmental review was narrowed under state streamlining rules under Senate Bill 131, meaning the filing did not require a full CEQA review, as reported by inewsource. If no appeal comes in, the developer’s next steps are grading and building-permit approvals.
Hanover’s own project listing still labels the Salk Avenue site as pre-development, and the marketing page points to an anticipated construction start in Summer 2026, which puts the race for permits and early site work on this year’s calendar, according to Salk Avenue Apartments. With light-industrial neighbors, TaylorMade’s testing facility next door and McClellan-Palomar Airport just to the south, city planners say the location lines up with Carlsbad’s rezoning strategy, while nearby residents and businesses keep an eye out for any appeals or design tweaks.
