OCEANSIDE — Ocean Kamp, a giant mixed-use housing development set to replace the former swap meet and drive-in movie theater, is progressing steadily even after the recent discovery of human bone fragments at the project site.
In 2022, the project was approved by the Oceanside City Council as a residential-commercial development with up to 700 homes, a 300-key resort, 134,000 square feet of retail and office space, and a 3.5-acre wave lagoon on a 92-acre site at the northeast corner of Foussat Road and state Route 76.
According to staff, the project will produce a $3.4 million net surplus to the city’s general fund at build-out, $295 million in one-time economic impacts from construction, generate nearly 1,800 jobs throughout construction, and drive $8.9 million annually in economic activity countywide.
Since the project broke ground, however, neighboring residents have noticed work crews have been frequently absent from the construction site over the last few weeks.
According to developer Jon Corn, CEO of O’Side Partnership, crews started mass grading in 2019 to raise the entire site by 10 feet and are now waiting on the city’s permission to begin the second phase of grading.
“We have pretty much maxed out this initial grading permit, so we are now working with the city to obtain a phase-two grading permit along with permits to relocate utilities and build roads,” Corn said via email. “Once we have those permits, we will complete grading and install utilities and roads.”
Corn said that the project has not received any stop-work orders or formal delays, but the periodic stops and starts are due to crews bringing in clean fill dirt when it’s available.
During the first phase of grading, crews unearthed shards of Native American artifacts and some human remains.
“The human remains are small bone fragments that, while small, have been treated with respect and dignity under the supervision of Native American monitors,” Corn said.
According to Corn, the items were “carefully and meticulously sorted, identified and stored” in cooperation with the local San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians.
“Eventually, all artifacts and remains will be repatriated to the earth according to the customs and practices of the tribe,” Corn said.
Indigenous peoples have inhabited the San Luis Rey River Valley and the areas of present-day Oceanside for thousands of years. This isn’t the first time that a developer has found artifacts and human remains when digging up earth near the riverbed.
According to residents of the adjacent Wanis View Estates community, approximately 10 skeletons were found during its construction in the early 2000s. The remains were repatriated on a plot of land that is fenced off from the public near the river in the community and contains a variety of native trees, shrubs and flowers.
Ocean Kamp should be completed in three years, Corn said.
