Carlsbad’s Planning Commission recommended approval Wednesday for a 23-apartment, four-story, mixed-use project in the downtown Village neighborhood, despite concerns that no parking is provided for the five retail tenants and two office suites in the building. The site on the northern end of Roos evelt Street near Laguna Drive is beside a trailer park, close to other residential buildings, restaurants, and a few blocks from the Coaster train station. The developer, Fabric Investments of Carlsbad, has completed other successful projects in the Village and in Oceanside. Two speakers at the meeting expressed concerns about the project, though both said they liked the overall design. “My biggest concern is parking,” Village resident Craig Ryall told the commission. “Each part of the Village is unique and has its own challenges, but Roosevelt Street in particular is difficult. There is hardly a time when you don’t have a parking issue.” Several businesses have no dedicated parking and more development is coming soon to the neighborhood, he said. “In aggregate we have to figure out how to solve the parking problem,” he said. Fabric Investments founder Brendan Foote said parking on the half-acre site is constrained by the small size of the lot and a requirement to include a fire lane. However, parking is available nearby at places such as the train station, which has hundreds of free parking spaces and is within a 10-minute walk of almost anywhere in the Village. “I’m seeing a behavioral change in the Village,” Foote said. “People are more resourceful. They are parking two blocks away and walking. We are blessed to have a pretty flat topography and a nice grid system of … streets with sidewalks on both sides.” One other downtown resident said the building’s proposed colors, which include a bright red and dark green, would not fit with surrounding buildings. Foote responded that the colors are not final and his company is willing to consider alternate suggestions. “We do care a lot about design,” Foot said. “It’s all going to be very thoughtful and a variety of material choices.” The commission voted 4-0, with three members absent, to recommend the Carlsbad City Council’s approval at a meeting later this year. “We need housing,” said Commissioner Dave Hubinger. “The applicant has fulfilled all the requirements. They did a great job with the project. We should stay in our lane and not throw a little hissy fit on the parking.” A two-story commercial office building and parking lot on the site will be demolished. The ground floor of the new building will have five commercial tenants, a main entrance and lobby, and a 24-space gated parking garage for residents. The second floor will have two office suites and 10 apartments, and the third floor will have 13 apartments, including four with additional rooms on the fourth floor. Two of the apartments will be dedicated for very low income residents and two will be for moderate income residents, which qualified the project for the state’s 50% density bonus. The developer also requested waivers for city requirements including setbacks, height limit and parking stall dimensions. Other Carlsbad projects by Fabric Investments include the Jeune Et Jolie restaurant building on State Street and the nearby State Street Commons, which is former antiques mall renovated to become a retail mix with a coffee shop, restaurant and small stores. ...read more read less