How is commercial and residential land use determined?
The City Council of Carlsbad approves the city land use plan (and reviews it periodically) that establishes all zoning (types of land use) within the city limits. Through this procedure the City of Carlsbad established the locations for all of the subdivisions (R-1 zoning) located near the airport. Developers simply “fill up” the zones established by the city land use plan with the type of development the city approved for each zone (in this case single family homes). It is not the developers or the homeowners but the city that is responsible. Also, the original land use may have been appropriate for a small local airport but be inappropriate for a highly commercial regional airport.
