An Old Idea Becomes a New Project
A hotel that was a concept in the early 1980s, and was initially permitted over a decade ago, is now scheduled to open in 2020. The project was delayed due to economic challenges during that period. The construction of the Encinitas Beach Hotel, which is located on 4.3 acres on the tip of the ocean bluff in North Leucadia, will become a 226,000 square feet, 130-room hotel (with 16 suites). The cost of the hotel is estimated at 110 million dollars.
This project has had its supporters and detractors. Those supporting the hotel note the lack of local hotels in Encinitas and the special hotel tax (transient occupancy tax). The project’s developers say the new hotel may produce between $1.5 and 2 million dollars a year to the city’s general revenue fund. Those opposing the hotel say the project will create traffic and other community impacts which will negatively affect the local residents of Leucadia.
The hotel is being called a “barefoot luxury” facility and will have upscale amenities such as restaurants (including a bike cafe) & lounge, a spa with five treatment rooms, along with plenty of meeting rooms. The cost of rooms of this quality is typically around $400 a night.
