HELIX Environmental Planning (HELIX) completed an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the expansion of the existing Plaza Camino Real shopping center in Carlsbad. This EIR evaluated a Specific Plan, including a request to demolish a portion of the existing center and construct 260,000 SF of new retail space, which included specialty shops, restaurants, a movie theater, and other commercial uses within the shopping center. Topics addressed in the EIR included land use policy, aesthetics/visual quality, transportation/parking, and hydrology/water quality. HELIX also prepared the supporting air quality and noise technical studies. Establishing the appropriate baseline for the analysis of impacts associated with expansion of this partially vacant shopping center was a key element of the CEQA strategy. HELIX’s approach to this critical issue was litigated and was upheld by the Superior Court and the Fourth Appellate District Court