Oceanside transit station redevelopment approved by Planning Commission
The 10-acre project features 547 apartments, a hotel, retail, and $100 million in transit upgrades, but faces circulation and pollution concerns

OCEANSIDE — A massive new development and transit center is on the horizon after North County Transit District’s redevelopment plan for the Oceanside Transit Station was approved by the Planning Commission on Monday.
The long-awaited mixed-use project between NCTD and developer Toll Brothers reimagines the transit station into seven buildings, 547 apartments, 1,768 parking spaces, a 170-room boutique hotel, 16,390-feet of retail and food and beverage space, a 12-bay bus station and new NCTD office and customer buildings across an estimated total of 850,000 square feet on 10.15 acres. Seagaze Drive bounds the site to the north, South Tremont Street to the east, Missouri Avenue to the south and the railroad tracks to the west.
Unlike other residential projects, the OTC proposal is a discretionary proposal, which allows for a denial by the City Council. The Planning Commission vote, meanwhile, was 4-1-1 with commissioners Grace Redgate and Emily Gonzales voting no and abstaining, respectively. Regardless, the project now goes before the Downtown Advisory Committee in July and then the City Council.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the city of Oceanside, NCTD and Toll Brothers,” NCTD Chief Executive Officer Sean Donaghy said. “I very much appreciate the public comment. We don’t get to a space where we are here today for that approval without that comment from our customers, NCTD and the citizens of the city of Oceanside.”
NCTD and Toll Brothers agreed to a 99-year ground lease with Toll Brothers paying NCTD about $350,000 per year. NCTD remains the property owner and all public elements (parking structure, mobility element, operations) are passed onto the agency, according to Arlene Tendick, a spokeswoman for Toll Brothers. She said Toll Brothers is responsible for the apartments and the hotel operator.
Also, the project injects $100 million in specific transit-related improvements such as a new bus operation area, the 12 stalls, NCTD’s new headquarters, a customer service center, the plaza and parking structure, plus all the road and sidewalk improvements.

The project would demolish the parking lots and move the bus bays from the north side along Seagaze Drive to the southern end exiting Missouri Avenue, for now, according to the plans. The hotel would reside on the northeast corner of the property, while the apartment buildings would sit on the east side along Tremont Street with the other buildings filling the western portion of the site.
The underground crossing at Tyler Street, though, would remain for access to the second platform and the beach. Also, the current parking garage will remain in place.
The NCTD project is just one of many in downtown Oceanside, which is slated for more than 1,800 new residential units across more than 10 development projects in the coming years to address the housing crisis. One project with 100% affordable units recently broke ground on Seagaze Drive and North Nevada Street.
The Oceanside project is also the first of a string of proposals from NCTD to build high-density mixed-use projects at nearly all their transit stations in North County, minus Encinitas and Solana Beach. The Oceanside proposal also includes 82 units for affordable housing (55 for low income and 27 for moderate).
“We need to be real thoughtful during the development process to not be disruptive to the neighborhood,” Donaghy added. “That’s a chief concern. We just need to pay close attention to that.”
Known formally as the Oceanside Transit Center Specific Plan, the proposal aims to support public transit through development, promote economic development and increase the housing supply and affordable housing. NCTD adopted a policy in 2016 to pursue the development of some of its real estate holdings, which currently includes most of its transit stations along the Coaster and Sprinter lines.
The project will be developed in two phases with an estimated timeline of seven years from entitlement to completed construction, Donaghy said. He said the first phase includes the residential buildings and NCTD offices, while the second phase includes the hotel and moving the bus bays.

The plan also calls to realign South Cleveland Street to improve traffic and on-site circulation and minimize conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.
As for amenities, there will be public art, pools, fitness centers, private and public outdoor spaces, Toll Brothers said. Plans also include wider sidewalks, multi-modal options, vibrant architecture and wayfinding signage, a public plaza and more. Additionally, all residents of the new apartment project will be given free Pronto cards to access all transit options from the station.
An economic study by RSG, Inc., shows 5,048 total temporary jobs and 658 permanent ones. The estimated economic output totals $741.5 million, with $637.1 million from temporary impacts such as construction and $104.3 million annually from business operations and resident spending.
The Local Transportation Study details vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and level of service (LOS) through the San Diego Association of Governments’ mixed-use trip generation calculator.
In total, the project estimates a gross of 8,163 average daily trips (ADT), although the calculation includes internal capture trips (trips inside the development), walks, transit and others. When those are accounted for, the estimated total ADT shows a 23% reduction of the current use.
Concerns
Most speakers supported the project, however one of the biggest concerns for a handful of residents is the bus bays exiting along Missouri Avenue. Several residents of the Oceanside Coastal Neighborhood Association said while they support the project, the buses are too large for Missouri Avenue and would like NCTD and Toll Brothers to change the circulation pattern.
Jane Marshall, who spearheads the group, said their requests have fallen on “deaf ears” for the past several years. Others, such as former Vista Economic Development Director Kevin Ham, suggested NCTD use either Michigan Avenue, just north of Missouri Avenue, or reroute through the center of the project to Seagaze Drive. He and Marshall said the buses will negatively impact traffic and neighbors.

Ham said while the residents will receive benefits and the city gets roughly $100 million in transit upgrades, the impacted neighbors aren’t being offered any mitigation remedies, such as soundproof windows or Pronto cards.
Donaghy said the agency and Toll Brothers will look at to possible changes. He said the city’s Coast Highway Vision & Strategic Plan includes a road diet and roundabouts from downtown to South Oceanside and may be suitable for buses to exit at Michigan Avenue.
One of those roundabouts, Ham said, is slated to be constructed at Coast Highway and Michigan Avenue, which would be ideal for the egress for the buses.
“Sean said they would look at how they would include it (new bus circulation) and shore power in the contract,” Ham said. “That was something that was promised before when the Coaster platform was being built. Sean said the preferred option was the have the circulation for the buses as is right now; however, he said we can explore other options in real time. The question for me will be is how are they exploring those options … before they go to the City Council.”
Additionally, residents south of the project site also voiced concerns and displeasure with NCTD’s previous commitments to install shore power for the trains. Currently, trains, which run on diesel fuel, can idle for up to one hour across from homes, Ham said.
With the shore power connection, which powers the train’s onboard systems, a diesel engine train doesn’t have to idle, thus eliminating the pollutants.
Although NCTD is looking at those concerns, one of the main goals is creating a transit district, Donaghy said. The city is expected to begin construction of its Coast Highway plan next year (budget permitting), while the city’s RE:BEACH pilot program is also slated for construction next year. RE:BEACH is tackling sand retention and nourishment from Tyson Street to Wisconsin Street.
With those two projects, along with the NCTD’s redevelopment, Donaghy is thrilled with the direction the city is heading.
“We really want to create a transit district,” he explained. “For us, that’s anywhere within Oceanside of a half-mile or full mile of unabated access to the transit center. We want them to have all the amenities from a retail perspective and transit experience. All those projects connect together, but they are sequenced where some will be done
Commission discussion
Most of the commission was fully on board with the proposal, which plans to reactivate the site, attempt to drive and encourage more use of transit and include multi-modal options as part of SANDAG’s Mobility Hub concept in its Regional Transportation Plan.
Redgate, though, hammered Toll Brothers about the lack of green space and a playground or park for families. She urged the project to include more green space, but Toll Brothers Managing Director Michael McCann said the site’s use is more for transportation, commercial and residential and the limited space is a challenge to include more green space or a playground.

He said the residential units, though, will have courtyards, pools, fitness centers and other amenities for families. However, Tyson Street Park is less than one-half mile from the transit center and has a jungle gym and other amenities.
Gonzales, meanwhile, continually stressed the importance for NCTD and Toll Brothers to continue public outreach. The developer has conducted more than 12 public meetings and workshops over the past several years.
Also, Gonzales wanted to amend the motion to recommend the project, which included continued public outreach and environmental and economic development concerns around the project.
However, those were not included as Chairman Thomas Morrisey said the requests were nebulous. Additionally, he said including a park in the middle of the project could be dangerous as people are trying to catch a bus, train, ride their bike and use rideshare, among other challenges.
Commissioner Tom Rosales also voiced concerns with the circulation pattern, but supported the overall project.
“The bus circulation is going to be a challenge,” he explained. “The number circulating in and out of there is going to be pretty tight. It doesn’t solve everything and has its own issues, but I think it would be a really good addition to the community.”
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