ENCINITAS — The Leucadia Farmers Market reopened June 21 at Oak Crest Middle School, four days after the Encinitas City Council unanimously rejected an appeal that had put the market’s move in doubt.
The weekly market had operated at Paul Ecke Central Elementary School for 20 years. Upcoming construction required Leucadia 101 Mainstreet, the market operator, to find a new site. Its final market at Paul Ecke was June 7, and it skipped the following Sunday while the appeal of its Oak Crest permits awaited a council decision.
The Appeal
Two nearby residents challenged the relocation. Their objections focused on plans to use the school’s upper grass athletic field and running track for booths, vehicles and parking, along with traffic, noise, notice, setup activity and potential effects on neighborhood streets. They said they supported the market but wanted operations kept on paved areas.
Before the hearing, organizers had agreed to changes including a 200-foot buffer between market activity and homes along the school’s southern boundary. The proposed maximum number of vendors was also reduced from 195 to about 135. City planning materials analyzed traffic circulation, parking, noise, restrooms, waste and the market’s operating schedule.
On June 17, the council denied the appeal and upheld the permits. Its decision did not simply restore the original proposal without conditions. The approved operation retained the 200-foot buffer and capped the market at 135 vendors. It also required noise monitoring at key locations and code-enforcement presence for the first four markets.
Conditions at the New Site
The city agreed to add “No Parking” signs in surrounding neighborhoods, and the operator was directed to evaluate satellite parking. The council also left room for a future review if problems developed. Those measures turned concerns raised in the appeal into requirements that could be observed after reopening.
Parking analysis submitted to the city estimated demand for 108 spaces under then-current operations. The Oak Crest plan identified 260 spaces at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center and along Oakcrest Park Drive. A growth scenario estimated demand at 156 spaces, still below the identified supply. Those are planning estimates, not a claim about attendance on June 21.
The timing made the council vote consequential for vendors. A prolonged break could have disrupted weekly income and customer habits. Instead, the unanimous decision on Wednesday allowed the market to begin at Oak Crest that Sunday, limiting the closure to one scheduled market day.
The reopening resolved the immediate permit question but did not erase the issues raised by neighbors. The conditions create a period of measurement and oversight at the new location. The market can operate, nearby residents have specific protections in the approval, and the council can revisit performance if the move produces documented problems.
Sources: City of Encinitas agenda materials; City Council meeting video; and The Coast News.