The Escondido City Council voted 4-1 Wednesday to approve an ordinance and resolution allowing construction of a five-story luxury apartment in downtown Escondido.
The 128-unit construction – dubbed The Maple – is being planned for a one-acre parcel across from City Hall that is now a city-owned parking lot.
Councilmember Consuelo Martinez voted against the item, saying she doesn’t think the high-cost housing is the right fit for the city, particularly because there’s no affordable housing included.
“We do need housing, but I’m not sold on the argument that all housing is appropriate housing,” she said. “I want housing for people who live in Escondido who are waiting to be housed.”
The other council members supported the development.
Judy Fitzgerald said she thinks the housing will be a boon for local businesses.
“I think it’s a perfect fit,” she said. “We’re not ignoring that we need affordable housing, but we also need this, so I’m happy to support this.”
Mayor Dane White said he thinks the property tax the development brings in will be good for the city as well.
Before the vote, six residents spoke out against the project and two voiced support. Those opposed to the development said they were primarily concerned with reduced parking in the area.
“There’s plenty of business in downtown, and we do very, very well here,” David Rodger, with Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, told the council. “It’s time that you guys start listening to the businesses that are here.”
Carol Rogers, a member of the Escondido Downtown Business Association, said the association supports the project and she thinks it’s well-aligned with others in the area.
“This feels like a group that wants to invest in our community,” she said.
David Ferguson, an attorney representing the development company, Kingsbarn Realty Inc., said they expect the units will be the most expensive in the city, which he said will help local businesses.
“What is needed for a successful downtown revitalization is not more parking,” he told the council. “What’s needed is more customers with disposable income in their pocket.”
Studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units are being planned for the development. There won’t be any retail space in the project. The developer has said the goal is for its residents to visit already established businesses rather than creating competition.
The developer submitted an application for the project in April 2024, and the city’s Planning Commission voted to recommend the project in November 2025.
This project is on the same site of a six-story apartment complex that was proposed and voted down in 2019. That project came from a different development company but faced some of the same complaints from the community. Martinez was on the council at the time and voted against that project as well. At the time, she said she didn’t think it was the best use for the property.