Transit center decision headed to Oceanside council

By: PAUL SISSON - Staff Writer | Tuesday, July 25, 2006 11:13 PM PDT ∞

OCEANSIDE --- A controversial housing project that includes a public transportation center moves to the Oceanside City Council after it was denied by the city's Planning Commission.

David Druker, a member of the North County Transit District's governing board and also a city council member in Del Mar, said Friday that the agency, which runs all public bus and rail services in North County, will ask the council to overturn a denial from the Planning Commission, which denied its San Luis Rey Transit Center project on June 12.

"We believe (the project) does follow all of the guidelines the city has set up for this property," Druker said.

City records show that the Planning Commission rejected the project on several grounds, including that it contained too many condominium units and that it did not include extra "park-and-ride" parking spaces where anyone from the public could park their vehicle before getting on a bus. While most of the transit district's existing bus stations do not include park-and-ride spaces, its Coaster train stations do.

Developer Loranda Corporation of Escondido has worked with the transit district for more than four years to craft the development on a triangular 10-acre parcel at North River Road and Vandegrift Boulevard in Oceanside's "back gate" area.

A planning document on file at City Hall shows that the project would include 106 condominiums, 13,684 square feet of commercial space and a 2.1-acre bus transfer pad with access to Vandegrift and North River Road.

Opposition to the project has included area neighbors, who filed a 134-signature petition with the Planning Commission stating that the project should be denied because it has too many condominiums and lacks park-and-ride accommodations.

If and when it is built, the new transit center would replace a smaller facility in the Wal-Mart shopping center at Highway 76 and College Boulevard.

Robert Schaffer, who lives nearby and who served as a planning commissioner for 12 years, has helped lead the petition drive. He said Tuesday that he and many others oppose the project, saying it the transit center should remain in the shopping center.

"We talked to the manager at Wal-Mart and to Gatlin (the shopping center's management company) and they both said they wanted it to stay," Schaffer said.

The Loranda Corp. did not return calls for comment on the project.

But Druker, who has watched the project wind its way through the approval process for years, said the transit district looked throughout the area for a suitable parcel on which to relocate the transit center. He said the existing facility inside the shopping center is not ideal because it is difficult for the long-transit vehicles to turn around in tight quarters.

"This was what we thought was the best place to build the transit center," he said.

Druker rejected opponents' claims that the proposed project is too dense for the surrounding neighborhood, noting that there are several other apartment complexes on adjacent properties that are more densely developed than the one proposed by Loranda and the transit district.

"Our density is less than the maximum that is allowed," Druker said.

Schaffer begged to differ. He said that when the transit district calculates housing density, it is including the 2 acres of land which would serve as a transit center.

"It's kind of smoke and mirrors," he said.

It will ultimately be up to the City Council to uphold or overturn the Planning Commission's decision. Though no official date for a hearing has been set, it is expected the project will come before the council in September.

Councilwoman Shari Mackin, who is Oceanside's representative on the transit district board, said she wants answers to the questions raised by the community. But she declined to tip her hand on how she might vote.

"I need to hear what everyone, the transit district, the neighborhood, the developer, says before I decide," she said.

-- Contact staff writer Paul Sisson at (760) 901-4087 or psisson@nctimes.com.

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Save our agriculture wrote on Jul 25, 2006 11:28 PM:putting the transit center on North River Road is a real problem for the agricultural traffic coming from the farms on Sleeping Indian in Morro Hills. The urban traffic of busses does not mix well with slow produce trucks. I also do not appreciate it being forced on our neighborhoods without and EIR. The back gate deserves all the environmental protections afforded the beach areas.

Sanguine wrote on Jul 25, 2006 11:48 PM:If you're going to put in 106 condo units, you're going to need a minimum of 212 parking spaces for the tenants, plus 212 more to handle visitors for birthday parties and other celebrations. Add another -- oh, say, 500 spaces for transit users. After all, downtown Oceanside has 500 spaces at it's transit center which is always full and overflowing onto street parking. Better make that 1,000 spaces for transit, bringing the project total to 1,424 parking spaces (minimum). Do you think the planners will get it right this time and require sufficient parking? Let's hope!

Jimmy the III wrote on Jul 26, 2006 3:06 AM:The project is needed but it is in the wrong location for the future needs of northern san diego county. Plus this opens the door for full onslaught development of the Native American Sacred Lands refered to as the 'Katuktu' or Moro Hills via a backdoor - this land that would open a backdoor to is as sacred to the local Luiseno peoples as Noah's Ark would be to any Christian, Moslem or Jew as it was a place of refuge during a great flood. A better location would be for the future transit center would be between the Home Depot and Bonsall on 76, but preferably right near to the new schools being built to provide the school kids tansportation. Santa Fe would be a great location as it would provide central linkage between Oceanside, Vista, Bonsall, Fallbrook, and the County. But the Sweetheart deal for the landowner-developer and NCTD is another big concern that needs some scruntiny- a landowner with questionable reputation regarding other projects in Oceanside trying to overcrowd and ghettoize small lots of land to make big profits. Traffic is alo a big concern that others are addressing. Just say NO !!!

Just Stupid! wrote on Jul 26, 2006 7:41 AM:Placing this here is just stupid. I live on Vandergrift and Douglas...and anyone who uses this intersection sill agree - it is JUST STUPID!

Re: Sanguine wrote on Jul 26, 2006 8:31 AM:Are you just stating on what you have heard regarding the parking spaces downtown? The new parking structure addresses those issues.

Linda wrote on Jul 26, 2006 10:20 AM:I think this is a greatly plan. Our city is growing leaps and bounds we need to look to the future of our city. We need to accommidate the growth plans of North County. I think the people who are opposed to this project are thinking about today and not the future development of North County. Also, this will bring employment to the North County area. Good luck with this project.

Just Plain Stupider ! wrote on Jul 26, 2006 10:46 AM:The reason there is a parking structure downtown is that it is located next to a transit HUB - ie...Coaster and bus service. Get real. A parking structure on this corner is stupid. I live across the street and I don't have a problem with the proposal. I am tired of being embarrased to tell people where I live with the trashy center (Churches Chicken) across the street. Bring some much needed class to the area, and get rid of the trash. This project could jump start this area --

A voter wrote on Jul 26, 2006 10:50 AM:This project must be seriously scaled down with a huge amount of commuter traffic added. The area could use a transit center but not the massive increase in traffic due to condos.

TO Just Plain Stupider!! wrote on Jul 26, 2006 2:07 PM:I agree with Just Stupid and thought it was a bad location - but you take the cake for stupid. You want to dictate what goes into our community based on personal appearance expectations - not logic. You think buses rolling through our neighborhood aren't going to be a traffic and noise problem? Oh wait - you probably just moved in here from 76 and Airport road where all you did was complain about air noise. Get real and think with that mass between your ears! This is a BAD IDEA for our intersection!!!!!!!!

Against the transit center wrote on May 22, 2008 3:01 PM:I think this is a dumb idea. I think it's already good. We do have transporation hub in Walmart shopping center off 76 and college blvd. I live in the condos (stonemark). We already get a lot of traffic on North River Road with the trucks. This is going to be more noise and air pollution. This I think this is a dumb idea!!! I think it's already good we have transportation Hub in Wal-Mart shopping center off of 76 hwy and college blvd. I live in the condos @ Stonemark. We already get a lot of traffic on North River Road with the trucks. This is going to be more noise and air pollution for us. This is way to close to condos and the new condos they are planning to build. It's going to crowded which will create more traffic in the future. I really think this area needs a lot of renovation and a new look. I will have to say no to the transit center. We will have more transients hanging around our area which will depreciate our property value. I really think they need to approve the shopping center across the street in this area. That place is crying for renovation! JUST SAY NO TO TRANSIT CENTER ON NORTH RIVER ROAD!!!! I’m sure there is a better place for a transit center in Oceanside.

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