The sign over Leucadia Liquor has been missing a letter for so long that it became the store's calling card. A Coast News Lick the Plate column published October 19 reported that owner Kamil Mansoor is retiring at the end of October after 35 years and closing the store for good. The business had served the neighborhood for more than six decades.
That closing lands in the same few weeks that the City of Encinitas expects to wrap up the longest piece of the Leucadia Streetscape. North Coast Highway 101 is about to get a finished street, and some of the businesses along it have closed or changed owners while the work went on.
A Segment That Ran About a Year and a Half Long
Segment C West, combined with the North Coast Highway 101 drainage project, covers the stretch from Jupiter Street to La Costa Avenue. Construction began in March 2024. The city's project page, last updated September 17, 2026, now puts completion in late fall 2026.
That's well past the original target. According to The Coast News, Segment C carries an estimated $32 million price tag and was first scheduled to finish by summer 2025. Director of Engineering Dan Nutter told the paper the timeline grew by about a year and a half after the City Council added drainage work, including a new storm drain system meant to reduce flooding along the corridor. In July, the city expected to finish by October. The September update changed that to late fall.
Most of the drainage work is now done and out of sight. The city reports that all of the 60-inch, 66-inch and 36-inch storm drainpipe is in the ground. What's left is the surface work drivers notice, plus some smaller underground pieces. Crews are still working on cleanout boxes, storm drain laterals, inlets, water service laterals and the water main between Jupiter and La Costa. South of La Costa Avenue on the west side, they're building new curb, gutter, sidewalk, a bus pad, a bus shelter pad and driveways. Expect intermittent lane shifts until then. The city says driveway and business access will stay open.
Segment C is one piece of a longer program, and the full sequence shows why "finished" means something different depending on where on 101 you live.
| Segment | Stretch | Status |
|---|---|---|
| A2 (North) | Marcheta Street to Basil Street | Completed in 2022, with roadway, sidewalk and new street trees |
| B-C interim work | Basil Street to La Costa Avenue | 2023 striping, bike lane, median changes, flashing crosswalks at Diana Street and North Court |
| C | Jupiter Street to La Costa Avenue | Under construction, completion targeted for late fall 2026 |
| B | Basil Street to Jupiter Street | Design complete, construction not yet funded |
| A1 (South) | A Street to Marcheta Street | Design complete, construction not yet funded |
When Segment C wraps up, the stretch from Jupiter Street to La Costa Avenue will have its full rebuild. The stretch between Basil and Jupiter will still run on the 2023 interim striping until funding comes through for Segment B.
What the Work Cost the Businesses That Stayed
The delay was paid for by the businesses along the curb. Stacy Reddell, executive director of the Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association, told The Coast News in July that sales fell an average of 25% to 40% over the prior year among the 20 businesses she surveyed.
The same story spelled out what that looked like day to day. Tom Chu, owner of Leucadia Donut Shoppe, said construction made it harder for northbound customers to reach his shop. David Shapiro, co-owner of The Leucadian, said losing street parking discouraged customers from booking events there.
Those are the places the finished street will serve first. Here's a short list of North Coast Highway 101 spots worth a stop on the next walk or bike ride, with addresses from Leucadia 101's dining directory and from the businesses' own sites:
- Leucadia Donut Shoppe, 1604 N. Coast Hwy 101
- Tribe Coffee Culture, 1650 N. Coast Hwy 101
- The Leucadian, 1542 N. Coast Hwy 101
- Fish 101, 1468 N. Coast Hwy 101, which takes orders through its own site
- Leu Leu, 466 N. Coast Hwy 101, open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m., with reservations open
The association's directory lists many more along the corridor, including French Corner at 1200, Corner Pizza at 1246, Coffee Coffee at 970, Nectarine Grove at 948 and Pandora's Pizza at 828. On the retail side there's Bing Surfboards at 974, Corner Frame Shop & Leucadia Art Gallery at 1038, and Zito Hat Co. at 386.
One Anchor Sold, One Closing, Both Before the Pavement Was Done
The bigger shift on this corridor happened through property deals. According to the Coast News column, Peeshee LLC, managed by Saeed Shahri, bought the Leucadia Liquor property in 2023, the year before Segment C construction started. The same column reports that Shahri's Athena Restaurant Group just bought Vigilucci's in Leucadia and that Vigilucci's will make way for a new concept. Athena also owns The Saloon and Shelter in Encinitas.
The column doesn't give a name or opening date for the new concept at the Vigilucci's address, 530 N. Coast Hwy 101, and it doesn't describe any plan for the Leucadia Liquor corner. So a few things will happen around the same time. The street gets its new curbs and sidewalks. One of Leucadia's longest-running stores closes. A well-known Italian restaurant moves to new ownership with a different concept on the way.
The column's author, who has lived in Leucadia for 25 years, places Leucadia Liquor in a long line of departed local spots. That list includes Captain Keno's, Ducky Waddles, Longboard Grotto and Calypso. Those earlier closings happened on an older street. These two land as the corridor is being rebuilt, and whatever opens at these addresses will be among the first businesses to start fresh on the finished Streetscape.
The Next Construction Zone Is Already on La Costa Avenue
When the cones come off 101, the next project is starting a few blocks away. The city's La Costa Avenue Pedestrian Path page, updated October 21, says the construction contract went to Prestige Prime Engineering. Work was expected to begin in October and finish in spring 2027. The project adds a half-mile path and a buffered bike lane on La Costa Avenue between I-5 and North Vulcan Avenue.
For anyone who gets on and off 101 at La Costa, the path project covers the very connection the Streetscape ends at. Once both are done, the north end of Leucadia will have walking and biking room from the freeway to the coast road. Through the winter, though, expect both corridors to change on overlapping schedules.
The Leucadia Farmers Market has already been through its own move this year. It left Paul Ecke Central and reopened at Oak Crest Middle School on June 21. Leucadia 101 lists it there every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 675 Balour Drive.
Weekends From Now Into Early December
Most of the season's big gatherings are downtown, which puts Leucadia a short ride or drive north of the action while its own street gets finished. The dates confirmed so far:
- Every Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Leucadia Farmers Market at Oak Crest Middle School.
- Sunday, November 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Encinitas 101 Holiday Street Fair downtown.
- Saturday, November 28, noon to 3 p.m. Shop Small Saturday downtown, followed by Deck the Windows: Downtown Encinitas Holiday Art Week from November 29 through December 6, both listed by Encinitas 101.
- Friday, December 4, 2 to 7 p.m. The Encinitas Chamber's new Holiday Village & Market in the Moonlight Beach parking lot. It's free and runs alongside the Heritage Tree Lighting festivities starting at 4 p.m., according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Saturday, December 5, 5:30 p.m. The city's Holiday Parade on South Coast Highway 101 between D and J streets, with the theme "40 and Still Fabulous."
- Sunday, December 6. Kringle Mingle on Aberdeen Drive in Cardiff, with holiday shopping, crafts and music. Organizer Cardiff 101 lists different hours in different places on its page, so check before heading over.
The parade route ends well south of Leucadia. If late fall goes to plan, though, it may be the first holiday season in three years when the drive back north on 101 runs through finished road instead of lane shifts.
If you own on the north end of Leucadia and want to talk through what a finished Streetscape and the coming changes along the corridor could mean for your street, Emily Benito is happy to walk through it with you. Let's Connect.
