OCEANSIDE — A seven-story, 230-unit mixed-use project proposed along Mission Avenue received unanimous approval from the City Council last month, adding to a growing list of mid-rise developments planned along what many consider the gateway to downtown.
The 1.5-acre project will occupy an entire city block between 801 and 815 Mission Avenue. Two existing commercial buildings, including a PNC Bank branch, will be demolished, and an alley will be vacated to make way for the nearly 234,000-square-foot development.
The project will include 23 affordable units reserved for low-income households, including two studios, 14 one-bedroom units and seven two-bedroom units.
Overall, the development will feature 24 studio apartments, 141 one-bedroom units and 65 two-bedroom units.
“By reserving 23 units to low-income households, the project would offer housing opportunities in an area otherwise unattainable to low-income households,” Principal Planner Shannon Vitale said during the May 20 council meeting.
Some members of the public expressed disappointment with the amount of affordable housing proposed, saying they would like to see more.
Edward Fitzpatrick, a former Oceanside resident, said he would have preferred to see at least 60 affordable units included in the project.
“We have underestimated just how many people in our society, even in the state of California and even the city of Oceanside, can’t afford a $400 emergency,” he said.
Now living in Escondido, Fitzpatrick said he hopes to return to Oceanside once more affordable housing becomes available.
“I want to get back to Oceanside,” he said.
Although Oceanside now requires developers to designate at least 15% of residential units as affordable, the project application was submitted before the city adopted the higher standard in 2024, thereby qualifying under the previous 10% requirement.
Vitale said the project would also improve the neighborhood’s visual character.
Dave Gatzke, vice president of development at San Diego-based H.G. Fenton Company, emphasized the project’s location along one of Oceanside’s most prominent corridors.
“With a great location comes great responsibility,” Gatzke said. “We noticed the position of this project is really a gateway on Mission Avenue to downtown Oceanside, that brings with it a certain responsibility.”
Gatzke said the development was also designed to complement and draw attention to existing businesses along Mission Avenue.
Although the project is not required to provide parking due to its proximity to the Oceanside Transit Center, it will include 346 parking spaces. Of those, 317 will be located in a parking structure accessed from Nevada and Clementine streets. The parking supply includes 295 resident spaces, 22 guest spaces and 29 on-street spaces.
The building will also include 5,240 square feet of commercial space, along with amenities such as a rooftop deck with a pool, a fitness center and an outdoor courtyard.
The project is one of several mid-rise developments planned along Mission Avenue in downtown Oceanside.
Last year, the City Council approved two neighboring projects adjacent to the 801-815 Mission Avenue site. One is an eight-story, 273-unit mixed-use development planned for the vacant lot at 901 Mission Avenue and Horne Street, directly east of the project. The other, located across the street at 810 Mission Avenue, would replace the existing North County Transit District headquarters with a seven-story, 206-unit mixed-use building.
The council also approved a separate 326-unit mixed-use project at 401 Mission Avenue last year that would replace the Regal Theater.
In January, council members approved a 373-unit project consisting of two mid-rise buildings at Lot 24, a paid parking lot on North Myers Street between Mission Avenue and Civic Center Drive. The site is divided by the pedestrian underpass at Pier View Way.
Construction has also begun on the nearby 712 Seagaze project, an eight-story development featuring 179 studio apartments reserved as affordable housing.
Last year, the council approved redevelopment of the Oceanside Transit Center, which includes plans for 547 apartments near downtown. The transit center is located roughly a half-mile from the 801-815 Mission Avenue project.
Other approved projects in the area include a seven-story, 64-unit building at 901 Pier View Way and a six-story, 180-unit development on a largely vacant parcel at the corner of Pier View Way and North Horne Street. Both projects were approved in 2023.
Together, these developments represent approximately 2,378 new housing units planned for downtown Oceanside over the next several years.
Many of the projects were approved under California’s density bonus law, which allows developers to increase residential density and seek waivers from certain development standards when at least 10% of units are designated as affordable housing.
CORRECTION: The original version of this article incorrectly used the term “high rise” to describe the development at 801 and 805 Mission Avenue. The project is seven stories tall, which is considered mid-rise. We regret the error.
