More than 900 homes proposed near Oceanside’s El Corazon Park (original) (raw)

A Utah-based developer wants to build 910 apartments and townhomes as part of a mixed-use project on 67 acres now occupied by a Moon Valley plant and tree nursery along Oceanside Boulevard, an area the city has designated a “smart growth” corridor.

The site is beside Oceanside’s sprawling El Corazon Park, where the new Frontwave Arena opens in September, and close to other new or proposed high-density residential developments along the Sprinter rail line.

Lehi Property Development of Salt Lake City and its local representative, Dan Niebaum of the Lightfoot Planning Group in Carlsbad, filed a preliminary application for a meeting Wednesday with Oceanside planning officials.

“This development is strategically positioned between two transit stations and directly across from El Corazon, making it an ideal candidate for sustainable infill development rather than contributing to urban sprawl,” said Lehi manager Kristine Tanner in an email Friday.

An architectural rendering of a 7-story apartment building proposed for the city of a plant nursery on Oceanside Boulevard.

She said 15 percent of homes would be reserved as affordable housing for lower-income families, veterans and seniors, and that the project aimed to support the city’s general plan and Smart and Sustainable Corridors Plan.

“We deeply value the input of the Oceanside community and are eager to collaborate with local stakeholders throughout the planning and design process,” she said. “By engaging with residents and addressing their feedback, we aim to ensure that our project reflects the needs and aspirations of the community.”

Projects discussed in the city’s developer conferences are tentative and can undergo significant changes before final approval, which can take months or years.

The parcel is crossed by the Sprinter rail line and Loma Alta Creek. Some areas are sensitive habitat for native species of animals and plants such as chaparral and coastal sage scrub. Parts of the property have been graded over the years for roads, parking lots, nursery buildings and stock storage areas.

Some of the site was once in the care of the Environmental Trust, a habitat management nonprofit that went bankrupt in 2005. Since then, part of the property that had been maintained by the trust appears to have become part of the nursery.

“It sounds like there has been unauthorized take of habitat since this preserve was established many years ago,” said Diane Nygaard of the local nonprofit Preserve Calavera, who often comments on projects as part of the community development process.

“The issue of endowing and managing this (protected habitat) will need to be addressed,” she added.

Brent Tanner, the husband of the manager leading the project, said that about a third of the property in the planning area will be left open because of environmental concerns.

“We are not touching those or doing anything with (those areas),” he said. “We just have to plan around it.”

The 570 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments in the project would be in a single, seven-story building with a parking garage at the center, north of the railroad tracks and fronting Oceanside Boulevard.

A separate area to the east, between the tracks and the road, would have 93 two- and three-bedroom townhomes, each with a two-car garage.

A third residential area is proposed south of the railroad tracks, with access from a bridge the developer plans to build over them in a spot where the nursery now uses an at-grade crossing. That area would have 247 townhomes in three groups organized around a landscaped area with open space and amenities.

Building the access bridge could cost as much as $7 million and would require approvals from North County Transit District, the state Public Utilities Commission and other agencies, the developer said.

Moon Valley Nursery on Oceanside Boulevard, where a developer has a proposal to build 910 homes on the 67-acre location. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Before Moon Valley, the site was occupied by another plant nursery chain, Evergreen. Before that it was part of the U.S. Silica sand mining operation that once included all of El Corazon and additional surrounding lands.

Once on the outskirts of Oceanside, the property is now centrally located on one of the city’s major east-west thoroughfares. Several other large residential projects are already underway or planned nearby.

Construction began two years ago on a 268-apartment complex now nearing completion on the 465-acre El Corazon Park. Also in the southeastern corner of the park, near the intersection of Oceanside Boulevard and Rancho Del Oro Road, are the city’s senior center and a large aquatics center.

Also nearby, a mix of 98 loft, one- and two-bedroom apartments is proposed for the Sprinter’s 2.14-acre Rancho Del Oro station at Rancho Del Oro Road. The NCTD board approved an 18-month exclusive negotiating agreement for the property earlier this year.

NCTD’s Sprinter train has 15 stations on a 22-mile route between Oceanside and Escondido.

The transit district encourages residential development at or near the stations as a way to boost revenue, increase ridership and help cities meet state mandates for affordable housing.

Originally Published: August 23, 2024 at 5:56 p.m.