Carlsbad approves Lowe's and Palomar Commons

The Olympic Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., closed its doors for good in 2008. In its place will rise a 153,974-sq.-ft. Lowe's, the city announced last week.

Carlsbad has given the green light to Palomar Commons, a development on the site of the old resort that in addition to a Lowe's will also include a gas station, a car wash, a bank with drive-through and four retail shop buildings totaling 31,270 sq. ft.

Palomar Commons will fill a gap in the marketplace identified by a recent market analysis, which showed that residents currently need to drive outside the city to find major home improvement type stores, the city said. The center will have a Spanish-Mediterranean architectural style with natural colored stucco and tile work.

"This project really addresses a gap in goods and services available to our local community," said Gary Barberio, the city's director of community and economic development. "We're taking an under-utilized site and turning it into something that will serve the community's needs and provide tax revenue to fund local services."