OCEANSIDE — The City Council reviewed and provided direction on several initiatives to improve and grow the downtown area this week during a workshop focused on development, density, traffic, parking, placemaking, and the Downtown Advisory Committee.
City staff brought forward eight topics related to downtown and asked for council direction. Local residents also provided public comment about changes and improvements they would like to see downtown.
In the interest of planning more effectively for downtown’s future, the council agreed to begin the process of creating a Downtown Specific Plan. This document would outline an overall vision for the downtown, including planned improvements and objective design standards.
Visit Oceanside CEO Leslee Gaul said that, even with all the recent development in downtown, creating a guide to shape its future is still important.
“The time is now. There is still much to do in the downtown area. It’s not too late to create a united vision that defines the downtown experience, one that honors our history, coastal character, sense of place, while driving economic impact,” Gaul said.
Parking and traffic
Council members also directed staff to complete other smaller studies related to traffic and parking downtown. For the traffic plan, they said they would like to examine traffic calming measures and pedestrian crossings in high-traffic areas, particularly along Coast Highway 101.
“It’s the most glaringly, obviously not-pedestrian friendly crossing in the downtown area,” said Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce.
When it comes to crossings, council members said they are in favor of pedestrian scrambles — a form of crossing where pedestrians can cross from all directions all at once, including diagonally.
Councilmember Jimmy Figueroa said there needs to be greater focus on traffic calming and pedestrian safety as more development comes to downtown, including the proposed 326-unit project at the Regal Theater and the 547-unit project at the Oceanside Transit Center.
“Looking ahead, with the OTC and the Regal project taking place, we’re gonna be inviting a lot more people to that corner of Coast Highway and Seagaze,” Figueroa said. “Improving the pedestrian experience is very important.”
Council members also received updates related to major proposed traffic projects, including the Coast Highway Corridor Design Project, which seeks to improve pedestrian and bike mobility along a 3.5-mile stretch of the highway from Neptune Way to Oceanside Boulevard.
The project will include reducing lanes (a road diet) in certain locations and adding mid-block crosswalks, roundabouts, and streetscape features to create space in the public right-of-way for bicycle facilities, improved sidewalks, and landscaping.
Phase 1 of the project will focus on the downtown area from Neptune Way to Topeka Street and is expected to cost around $7.43 million.
On Friday morning, two days after the workshop, the SANDAG Board of Directors agreed to issue $3.49 million in Smart Growth Incentive Program funding for this first phase, which the city is matching with $3.9 million.
Construction is expected to begin in the fall, and city staff are finalizing construction drawings and assessing potential traffic calming measures on parallel streets.
City staff also recommended updating its Downtown Parking Action Plan. Staff noted that some areas currently used as parking lots, such as Lot 24, are planned for development, resulting in a loss of parking.
Mayor Esther Sanchez noted that, as a commuter city, many people in Oceanside still rely on cars, which necessitates a certain amount of parking space with the arrival of new housing projects.
“There’s an assumption that some of the people in these developments aren’t going to need to drive, yet we are a commuter city,” Sanchez said.
Public speakers had mixed views on parking, with some residents saying the city needs to build fewer parking spaces and more for pedestrians and cyclists. Others noted that free parking is growing harder to find.
“Much of the free parking is now becoming paid parking, because these owners can do so,” said Jane Marshall, president of the Oceanside Coastal Neighborhood Association. “We love that everything is developing, we love all the businesses that are coming down, we just want to make it equal, fair.”
Density
Another major topic of discussion was density. Staff explained that the city is currently awaiting the California Coastal Commission’s approval of its 2023 Local Coastal Plan Amendment, which would set a new housing density cap of 86 dwelling units per acre in the downtown area.
At the workshop, city staff said the commission has asked the city to remove a reference in the LCP to a 5,500-unit cap from 2019 and redefine it as a “target” that can be exceeded. This is because state housing law forbids municipalities from setting hard limits on overall development in an area, unless they can prove there are risks to health or safety.
“If we were to take a stand today and say, ‘no, we want to keep it as a cap,’ there is a strong likelihood we will not get Coastal Commission support for establishing an 86-unit-to-the-acre cap,” said City Manager Jonathan Borrego.
The council ultimately agreed to this change. The Coastal Commission will vote on the city’s Local Coastal Plan Amendment on Feb. 5.
Sanchez said another top priority is the creation of a local transit-oriented development plan, following the passing of Senate Bill 79. The bill permits multi-family residential development at sites near major transit stops such as the Oceanside Transit Center, overriding local zoning regulations for height and density.
Oceanside was one of several North County cities to oppose SB 79.
Under the bill, cities can submit their own local transit-oriented development (TOD) plans to slightly mitigate the impacts of SB 79. These plans must be submitted to the state by July 1.
“One of the higher priorities we have has to do with coming up with our own TOD plan with respect to SB 79, otherwise we’re going to be allowing up to seven stories of development on both sides of the Sprinter,” Sanchez said.
Placemaking pilot program
Council members also discussed the process for creating more public gathering spaces, such as plazas and promenades in the downtown area, known as placemaking, as well as an upcoming proposed street closure.
The city will kick off these efforts this summer with a placemaking pilot that will close off vehicle access to Tremont Avenue between Mission Avenue and Pier View Way, making it accessible only to pedestrians.
According to the city, the goal is to create a unique gathering space that will activate the area and support local businesses by allowing them to expand into the public area. City staff said they will contact businesses along that portion of Tremont to address any concerns before the pilot begins.
Council members said the Tremont pilot is a great first step, but that they would like to see the city explore even larger ideas in the future.
“If Tremont is something easy we can do for 2026, that’s great, but let’s even look at something bigger and grander that fits with Coast Highway,” said Councilmember Rick Robinson.
Councilmember Jimmy Figueroa said he would like to see the city create a cultural corridor that honors the heritage and history of the various groups who shaped Oceanside into what it is today.
One option, he said, would be a project at the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge at Mission Avenue. He referenced similar projects in Barrio Logan, San Diego, that honor the neighborhood’s roots, as well as Destination Crenshaw in Los Angeles.
Concepts for public gathering spaces and art in the downtown area would all be included in the eventual Downtown Specific Plan, city staff said.
“Everything you’re describing, from the pedestrian promenades to the art walks, to the potential for some cultural identification, all that would be included in this plan that we’re talking about,” said Borrego.
Downtown Advisory Committee
Another topic was the Downtown Advisory Committee, or DAC, which advises the council on land-use matters and projects in the downtown district.
Council members requested certain changes to the DAC to make it more accessible and effective. Joyce said he has received complaints about accessibility because the meetings are held at 9 a.m.
He also said the DAC often does not receive the same level of information about proposed projects as the Planning Commission, which makes it more difficult for members to make informed decisions.
“When they get reports on developments, they’re getting the CliffsNotes version of it. When they ask questions, they’re not getting answers to their questions … I’ve seen frustration from members of the DAC because of that,” Joyce said. “They’re seeing these developments that are transformative to our city.”
City staff said the meetings can be moved to a later time in the day when more people can attend, and that the DAC can receive more robust information about projects, on par with what the Planning Commission would receive.
The city also discussed whether downtown development projects should be reviewed by the Planning Commission instead. Sanchez said she believed the DAC was still the best body to review these projects, but that she would like to see the addition of a representative from the cultural arts district.
Currently, the DAC is composed of two at-large community members, a downtown resident, a business owner, a member of the tourism industry, and representatives from the Planning Commission, Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Oceanside, and the Economic Development Commission.
Joyce said it would be beneficial to add more voices from outside major organizations.
The council voted unanimously to move the DAC meeting time to increase accessibility, provide more detailed information about proposed projects at DAC meetings, and explore options for more diverse membership.
