The Solana Beach City Council will hear its first community outreach update on the $7.4 million Lomas Santa Fe East road construction project when it meets Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m.
The meeting at Council Chambers, 635 S. Highway 101, also includes a fire department presentation, votes on opposing four state housing bills, a ceremonial send-off for retiring City Clerk Angela Ivey and the introduction of new Planning Director Noah Alvey.
Lomas Santa Fe construction update
The council awarded a $6.7 million contract to Tri-Group Construction on May 27 for the Lomas Santa Fe East project, which stretches from Santa Helena to Highland Drive along the city's primary east-west corridor. A 10% contingency of $675,000 brings the total to $7.4 million.
The project will add sidewalks, a multi-use trail, bike lanes, landscaped medians and drainage improvements, according to the city's project page.
Construction staging is scheduled to begin after Labor Day, with full work expected to start in October and last about 11 months through late summer 2027. A $7 million federal grant secured by Rep. Mike Levin funds most of the project, with the city's Transportation Impact Fee and Measure S covering the rest.
Wednesday's agenda item asks the council to receive a staff update on community outreach and provide direction on future outreach activities. Residents can sign up for the project email list at cityofsolanabeach.ca.gov/en/LSFE.
Deputy Mayor Jill MacDonald, whose district includes the corridor, stressed communication at the May 27 meeting when the contract was awarded. "Communication is essential. I have no doubt that I'm going to get a lot of phone calls and emails from my neighbors," MacDonald said at the time.
Planning for the corridor began in 2015. A second phase, Lomas Santa Fe West, will extend similar improvements from Interstate 5 to Highway 101. SANDAG awarded $3.5 million for that western segment earlier in 2026, though the full cost is estimated at $8 million and additional funding is still being sought, The Coast News reported.
Fire department presentation
Fire Chief Bret Davidson is expected to present to the council under a separate agenda item. Davidson, who has nearly 40 years of fire service experience, joined Solana Beach after serving with the City of Vista. He leads a shared fire management team serving both Solana Beach and Del Mar under a cooperative agreement, according to a Del Mar agenda packet.
The presentation comes as the two cities restructure fire services after Encinitas exited a three-city agreement in 2025. Councilmember Dave Zito acknowledged the difficulty at a July 15 meeting, calling it "a tricky year with the transition" after Encinitas left the shared arrangement, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Housing bill opposition
The council is scheduled to vote on correspondence opposing four state housing bills: AB 2433 (density bonus law), SB 1117 (accessory dwelling unit impact fees), AB 956 (streamlined approval for multiple ADUs) and AB 1621 (postentitlement permits and housing accountability).
The votes come as Solana Beach faces pressure on housing production. The city has permitted just 215 units this decade, about a quarter of the 875 units the state mandates by 2029, the Union-Tribune reported in July. Zero units have been permitted for very low-income households against a state target of 316.
Mayor Lesa Heebner, who chairs the SANDAG board, has pushed back on state housing mandates. Heebner told the Union-Tribune in July that Solana Beach is not anti-housing and has approved every project brought forward.
The council will also consider supporting AB 762, which would ban single-use vaping devices, and opposing a forthcoming wildfire liability reform package that would limit public agency recovery.
How to participate
The meeting will be broadcast on Cox Channel 19, Spectrum Channel 24 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99, and streamed at cityofsolanabeach.ca.gov. Remote speakers must register by 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7. Written comments can be emailed to [email protected].
