Consensus Planning completed a major update to the City of Carlsbad Comprehensive Plan and created a Short Term Housing Strategy. The City of Carlsbad has been in an unique situation where it faced unprecedented economic growth and development due to the oil and gas industry, which caused the unintended consequences of a deep housing shortage, lack of service workers, traffic congestion, roadway improvement needs, and challenges to its tourism industry. Consensus Planning lead a public engagement process that included a Steering Committee comprised of City staff, industry representatives, business owners, and the general public; an on-line community survey; public meetings; and interviews with key stakeholder groups that each have shown a deep commitment to addressing the challenges faced by the community. The Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the City Council in January 2020.

The Short Term Housing Strategy involved the identification and mapping of 31 potential growth areas within and outside the City of Carlsbad. Each of these areas were evaluated for the feasibility and potential of existing infrastructure capacity and expansion, adjacent land uses and zoning, roadway access, ownership, housing density and yield, etc. The Short Term Housing Strategy was designed to allow interested developers to view each of the growth areas, their various attributes, and have access to further contact information.