The Oceanside Planning Commission approved a 4-story, 54-unit condo building with ground floor commercial uses on South Coast Highway this week, despite widespread opposition from neighborhood residents.
City staffers advised the commission and residents that the Hallmark Development Corp. project meets all the city’s requirements, and that state law protects the developer’s right to build. Denial could force the city into a costly legal battle.
“I don’t think there is enough parking, but the developer has followed all the guidelines,” said Commissioner Louise Balma. “If we send it back, it would just be approved at greater expense and delay.”
The 42-foot-tall building would go up on the site of an old automotive center at the southeast corner of South Coast Highway and Morse Street, now home to LSI Automotive, Ghetto Choppers, a carburetor repair shop and a smog test facility. The existing structures would be demolished.
The site is across Morse Street from Vista Del Mar, a community of 38 three-story townhomes that opened in 2019 on property that previously was a trailer park. The rest of the neighborhood is mostly small, older single-family homes.
Several residents said the new townhomes have insufficient parking and that the proposed condominiums will overwhelm the nearby streets with vehicles.
“Most people have two cars, and a lot of people have three cars,” said Stacy Black, a Marshall Street resident. “You don’t have enough parking for the people that live there now.”
The Planning Commission considered the project at its previous meeting two weeks earlier, when the issue was continued after a 2-2 vote on whether to deny the project. All but one of the 14 public speakers opposed the project, and the single supporter lived outside Oceanside.
The commissioners listened to the residents again Monday and then voted 5-1 for approval, with Robyn Goodkind opposed and Joshua Raines absent. The decision is final unless appealed to the City Council.
“I understand the need for housing, and I understand the state law,” Goodkind said, (however), “We are permitted to ask the developer to go back to the drawing board and review the project for compatibility with the neighborhood.”
The size and scale of the project are incompatible with the neighborhood and could create a safety issue in an area with single family homes and an elementary school nearby, she said. South Oceanside Elementary is a few blocks away at Cassidy and Horne streets.
City Planner Jeff Hunt said the project could only be denied “based on a quantifiable written or numerical standard” and that the project exceeded the applicable standards. It has more than the minimum onsite parking spaces and is below the maximum height and number of units.
Commission Chair Tom Rosales said that he’s seen dramatic changes as a 30-year Oceanside resident, and that the city’s evolution is not always easy.
“It’s not always a smooth transition,” Rosales said. “I’m very aware of the impacts on the old neighborhoods ... but ultimately we have to make a decision.”
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Oceanside approves 4-story, 54-unit condo building on Coast Highway - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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