OCEANSIDE — Planning commissioners earlier this month unanimously approved a 19-unit single-family home development on a 1.7-acre vacant lot next to First Baptist Church in the Loma Alta neighborhood, despite objections from several nearby residents.
The project, located at 240 Grace Street, will include homes built in a twin-home configuration — two homes connected by a common wall in six separate pairs — with one home fully detached. The development features five distinct floor plans, each with a Craftsman or Spanish architectural style, and homes range from 1,487 to 2,086 square feet, offering three or four bedrooms.
All homes will be two stories in height, with attached two-car garages, and will be accessed via a private street connected to Grace Street.
Each home will have a private backyard, and the structures will be limited to a maximum height of 28 feet above grade. Two biofiltration basins will be constructed at the project entrance to manage stormwater on-site, which will be treated before discharging into the existing system along Grace Street.
Developer Hallmark Communities has included two three-bedroom homes designated for very low-income households and one four-bedroom home for a moderate-income household. The inclusion of these affordable units enables the developer to utilize the state’s “stacked” density bonus law, thereby increasing the project’s size from 10 homes — the base zoning allowance — to 19.
The law also enables developers to request unlimited waivers of development standards and limited concessions. Hallmark requested one concession to waive frontage improvements such as curb, gutter, sidewalk and street repaving.
Waiver requests included reduced lot size, width and coverage; decreased setbacks from property lines; increased wall and fence heights; a variation in residential unit types not typically permitted under city code; and relief from front yard landscaping and plantable retaining wall requirements.
The city received 33 public letters opposing the development, citing concerns about stormwater runoff, privacy, traffic, parking, dust, noise, habitat loss, fire safety and community aesthetics.
Stormwater Concerns
Several residents expressed concern that runoff from the project could worsen existing flooding issues. Sean Santa Cruz, vice president of planning and development for Hallmark Communities, stated that the project will adhere to state regulations, which require stormwater to follow historical flow patterns and be released at the same rate as pre-development conditions.
He said the soil at the site does not allow water to infiltrate the ground due to insufficient percolation, a condition affecting roughly 90% of San Diego County’s soil.
“The soil doesn’t allow for infiltration at the necessary percolation rate for the water to be infiltrating the ground,” Santa Cruz said during the July 14 public hearing.
Santa Cruz said that stormwater previously draining north into the backyards of six homes on Foster Street will now be captured on the project site and discharged to Grace Street. In response to a question from Vice Chair Dennis Anthony, Santa Cruz said state law does not permit redirection of the water’s natural flow.
Traffic Impact
Residents also raised concerns that the new development would worsen traffic congestion caused by cut-through drivers using neighborhood streets to access Oceanside Boulevard, Mission Avenue, Canyon Road and Interstate 5.
City staff stated that the amount of traffic expected from the development did not meet the thresholds that would require a vehicle miles traveled or level of service study. The city’s traffic engineer and engineering department also reviewed the project.
The developer hired a traffic engineer to examine local traffic patterns and evaluate possible calming measures, such as speed bumps. While most roads did not qualify, the developer inquired about adding stop signs and pavement striping at nearby intersections including Carey Road and El Monte Drive, El Monte and Foster Street, and Saratoga and Foster.
Santa Cruz said a traffic count is scheduled for mid-August after schools resume to help determine whether a two- or three-way stop at Foster and El Monte is appropriate.
Sean Davis, a resident of Greenbrier Drive, said he’s concerned additional nearby properties could be developed with similarly dense housing, worsening speeding and traffic issues in the future.
Parking Issues
The homeowners association will require future residents to use their garages for parking. The short driveways will not accommodate additional vehicles, and the private street will prohibit on-street parking. The development includes only three guest parking spaces.
The developer requested use of additional parking on the adjacent church property, but First Baptist Church declined, citing the potential future need for those spaces. Thirteen existing parking spaces on the church lot will be removed as part of the project.
Santa Cruz said current demand for parking along Grace Street is low and that the area is already subject to the city’s overnight parking permit program, which would also apply to future residents.
Privacy Concerns
Some neighbors whose properties abut the project site expressed concerns that the new two-story homes would overlook their backyards, despite the construction of a 13-foot wall along the property line.
“They’ll be looking down into our backyard for sure,” said Patricia Rubano, a Saratoga Street resident.
Santa Cruz said home designs limit windows facing adjacent properties and place the structures as far back on the lots as possible to increase rear yard space. Vice Chair Anthony asked whether trees growing up to 25 feet could be planted between existing homes and the new development to improve privacy. Santa Cruz said he would discuss the proposal with affected neighbors.
Commission Decision
Commissioners ultimately approved the project, noting that, as with other recent density bonus developments, state law limits their discretion to reject qualifying proposals.
Commissioner Tom Rosales said he could not identify any specific development standards that the project failed to meet. He suggested the city work with other municipalities to seek state legislative changes to the density bonus law.
Commissioners Kevin Dodds and Graciela Redgate were absent from the meeting.
