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Carlsbad residents reject "Measure A" Tuesday night, 7,100 provisional ballots remain to be counted

The fate of a proposed retail and dining development on the shore of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon will be decided by Carlsbad residents Tuesday in a special election.

LAST UPDATED: February 24, 2016 4:40 p.m.

CARLSBAD (CBS 8/CNS) - Final results of a special election to decide the fate of a retail and dining center to be built along the shore of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon in Carlsbad may not be known until next week, county Registrar of Voters Michael Vu said Wednesday.

Measure A was trailing by 186 votes today, but around 7,100 mail and provisional ballots remained to be counted, he said.

At the end of Tuesday night's counting, the ``no'' votes totaled 16,727, or 50.28 percent, to 16,541 ``yes'' votes, or 49.72 percent.

The development planned by Los Angeles-based Caruso Affiliated has drawn opposition from environmental groups and mall owner Westfield, until recently the owner of a shopping center near Carlsbad's northern city limits.

Percent of Votes:

No - 50.28%
Yes - 49.72%

Total Votes: 

No - 16,727
Yes - 16,541

Caruso planned to build on 15 percent of the 203-acre property and leave the rest as open space. A popular family-owned U-pick strawberry farm
alongside Interstate 5 would be allowed to remain in operation.

The plans were approved last year by the Carlsbad City Council, but opponents -- concerned about the size of the proposed buildings and worsening traffic congestion -- collected enough petition signatures to force it to a public vote.

The City of Carlsbad released the following statement Wednesday:

“This election has clearly demonstrated how strongly our residents value Carlsbad’s excellent quality of life and community character. While we sometimes have different ideas about what is best for Carlsbad’s future, we all share a deep love and commitment to our city.

As we await the final election results, we remain committed to working with residents on all sides of this issue so we can better understand each other’s perspectives and use that understanding to make sure Carlsbad remains a place we are all proud to call home.

The conversation over what is best for Carlsbad’s future can and should continue. Moving forward, it will be up to all of us who care about this city to honor Carlsbad’s long tradition of an informed and respectful exchange of ideas focused on our common goals.”

If the vote passes, it has to go to the California Coastal Commission for approval. If not, it's back to square one for the developer.

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