OCEANSIDE — The Oceanside City Council has approved the smaller 199-unit Olive Park Apartments project, rejecting an appeal from residents who raised safety and access concerns about the affordable housing development.
The council voted 4-1 on May 7 to uphold the Planning Commission’s Jan. 27 approval of the project, which aims to build two four-story buildings of 100% affordable housing on approximately 11 acres near the College Boulevard Sprinter Station.
Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce called the plan “one of the most environmentally friendly projects” he’s seen on the council, while Councilmember Rick Robinson, a former fire chief, said the development would improve wildfire safety by creating a buffer between homes and wildland areas.
“This would mitigate a lot of fuels,” Robinson said in response to concerns about fire danger.
The project includes 382 on-site parking spaces — none of which were required due to its proximity to public transit — a paseo, dog run, courtyards, playground, and community garden within 36,000 square feet of shared amenities. Its architecture will feature Spanish-style elements such as red clay tile roofing and stucco walls.
The remaining 32 acres of the 43.5-acre property will be set aside as permanent open space. According to staff and the developer, the construction site contains mostly disturbed land and non-native species, while preserved portions contain native habitats that will be improved through the project.
The site, located at the western end of Olive Drive, will feature one-, two- and three-bedroom units for households earning up to 80% of the area median income.
The 62 homes on Olive Drive, Bradley Street and Crystal Street are accessible only via the Olive Drive-College Boulevard intersection, a point of contention for neighbors who support the project but oppose the entryway.
“We’re not against the project, but what we really want is a secondary access going over the rail line,” said Meg Ley, a neighbor representing the Mira Costa Neighbors for Responsible Development, the group that filed a Feb. 6 appeal.
However, the city’s Senior Planner Shannon Vitale said the road was “never intended to remain a cul-de-sac.”
A proposed second access point from Avenida del Oro would require construction of a bridge over Loma Alta Creek and a new at-grade rail crossing, which the North County Transit District opposes.
While Ley claimed NCTD may be open to the idea, Brian Mikail, representative for developer Capstone Equities, presented a recent email from the agency reaffirming its opposition to any crossing that impacts Sprinter operations.
“Olive Drive has the capacity,” Mikail said, adding that additional access points would disturb preserved habitat.
Mikail also noted that while the 100% affordable housing project qualifies for a state density bonus, its density — at 5.7 dwelling units per acre — is still lower than the surrounding neighborhood’s 5.9 dwelling unit average.
“There are wants that we have tried to address — at the same time, the needs of the greater Oceanside community are unfortunately dire,” Mikail said.
The project was reduced from 282 units to 199 in response to community concerns about noise, traffic, and evacuation routes. It will include a pedestrian and bicycle crossing to the nearby Sprinter station and a landscaped open space maintained by the property manager.
Mayor Esther Sanchez cast the lone vote against the project, citing safety concerns.
Sanchez expressed worry that poor road conditions would be exacerbated by the increased traffic on College Boulevard between Olive Drive and Oceanside Boulevard, the safety of the already “dangerous” Olive Drive-College Boulevard intersection, and the unbundled parking plan that allows spaces to be leased separately.
The city previously committed $6 million from its housing fund to help finance the development.
