February 2023

H

aving garnered national acclaim for its alkaline water, it seems fitting that Carlsbad Village is now a wellspring of development, too. Innovative architecture, biotech

“There’s still lots of blank canvas here,” says managing principal Brendan Foote as he ambles along State Street. “The topography here orients itself toward the ocean.” Behind Fabric’s alluring mixed-use façades, the group has carved out serious achievements in Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Little Italy. The urban infill development and redevelopment company has punctuated its portfolio with adaptive reuse, architectural integrity, and innovative design that prioritizes community. Take State Street Commons, which transformed the decrepit antique mall into a vibrant project that houses Lofty Coffee, Nick’s, Pure Taco, Pacific Sotheby’s, and Warner Bros. Games. There’s a buzz from sunrise to sunset. Out front, an old-school clock keeps time for the nearby train station where the group is one of three finalists vying for the redevelopment of North County Transit District’s Carlsbad Village Coaster station in partnership with Sea Breeze Properties. “We are finding ways to develop what the neighborhood needs,” says Foote. Over on Roosevelt, he points out two forthcoming mixed-use projects underway. The live-work-play Roosevelt—located next to Resnick’s double vision—includes offices, retail, and 17 apartments anchored by a plaza. And the live-work Beech House is inspired by an East Coast Montauk surf style.

start-ups, and unparalleled walkability to shops, restaurants, and other attractions have collectively transformed Carlsbad Village into a sleeper hit of pedestrian hubs—something notable for car- centric North County. Transplants from the Bay Area to the Midwest are migrating to the coastal city between Oceanside and Leucadia for more than beachy proximity alone. Unlike the downtowns of, say, Encinitas or Solana Beach, Carlsbad boasts an extremely walkable gridded network of widely spaced streets, offering developers—and developments—more room to scale and play. The walkable timeline starts in 2016, when Cardiff-based architect Brett Farrow teamed up with Chris Miller, the visionary Vuori co-founder and former pro skateboarder, to transform an old garage and former home of the Dragmaster into a mixed-use project. It houses Campfire— restaurateur John Resnick’s Carlsbad debut—still burning brightly alongside tenants Baba Coffee and Carruth Cellars. In 2018, Resnick teamed up with local development firm, Fabric, for a ballyhooed follow- up, the vintage-luxe Jeune et Jolie just one block north as a part of a mixed-use project. The French- tinged SoCal fare earned its star in the 2021 Michelin Guide California and has since become a calling card for the culinary scene. Today, cups runneth over. A new wave of design is underway for players, old and new. For Farrow, there’s Laguna Row, featuring 13 residences perched on the southerly edge of the Buena Vista Lagoon. Meanwhile, Resnick has a dual concept yet to break ground that will feature Wildland, an all-day neighborhood cafe, and Lilo, a fine dining experience. There’s talk of a Japanese garden, too. Add a drumroll for local namestay, Fabric, too: It has created a tapestry with seven projects in a four-block radius.

"There’s still lots of blank canvas here. We are finding ways to develop what the neighborhood needs."

BY GILLIAN FLYNN

- Brendan Foote

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT An aerial shot of Carlsbad Village; An original Quonset hut now home to Nick's; A custom clock at State Street Commons pays homage to the Carlsbad Train Station across the street; A redeveloped electric supply warehouse is now where Jeune et Jolie and the neighboring co-working space are housed; The Reserve, a creative office building overlooking the Buena Vista Lagoon and Pacific Ocean on north end of State Street; The front door of Townhouse by architect Mark Benjamin of Archipelago Development is a favorite local selfie spot.

65 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE

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