OCEANSIDE — During its April 8 meeting, the city’s Planning Commission named a new chairperson and approved a three-story, 43-unit senior housing project on South Melrose Drive.
Morrissey, formerly a vice chair who has served on the Planning Commission for the last decade, replaces Commissioner Tom Rosales as chairperson. Commissioner John Malik will take over as vice chair.
Earlier in the meeting, the commission unanimously approved a 55-and-up senior housing and office space project at 1430 South Melrose Drive, near Cannon Road. The age-restricted project will take over a 1.5-acre vacant property next to Aegis Living Shadowridge, an assisted living and memory care facility.
The mixed-use project will include eight 505-square-foot studio apartments, 25 one-bedroom apartments between 656 and 682 square feet, and 10 two-bedroom apartments between 996 and 1,022 square feet.
The mixed-use portion includes a 2,529-square-foot office space and 43 parking stalls the developer intends to lease. The commission granted the developer a conditional use permit to reduce the standard number of parking spaces from 70 to 43.
Other residential amenities include a lobby, a fitness club area, a courtyard and a rooftop deck with a fireside lounge and entertainment terrace.
Commissioner Louise Balma questioned if the developer was confident in locating a tenant for the office space, noting that commercial space in similar mixed-use projects in the city has sat empty for some time.
Bob Kim of Mideum Oceanside, LLC, the project’s developer, said he was hopeful about finding a tenant and suggested businesses like architecture firms or another office-oriented business could find a home there.
Beyond her concern about the office space, Balma praised the developer for the project’s design.
“You did a great job on this,” she said.
The project will have a Mediterranean architectural style with white-washed stucco walls, metal railings, arched walkways and a low-pitched, red-tiled roof. The property has an approximately 10-foot grading distance that the building’s design will follow with a tiered look.
“It’s a very handsome development,” Rosales added.
