Oceanside’s growing skyline could get taller and more crowded if two buildings — one eight stories tall and the other seven — are approved as the final pieces in a nine-block downtown master plan. The two mixed-use developments proposed for North Myers Street just north of Mission Avenue will be discussed Wednesday by the Oceanside City Council, which could give them both a green light. However, some council members and residents have called for caution because of the city’s rapid downtown growth in recent years. Ocean views have been obstructed, streets are more crowded, parking is harder to find, and buildings are more tightly packed in less space. Members of the Oceanside Downtown Advisory Committee found little to like about the latest proposal when it was presented at their Aug. 20 meeting, where a motion to recommend the City Council’s approval died for the lack of a second. “I see two buildings that are just sidewalk to sidewalk,” said committee member Tom DeMooy. “I don’t see any setback, any patios …. the building looks just like any other building. It would be nice to have a showcase … in downtown Oceanside.” The two undeveloped parcels, known as Blocks 5 and 20, each cover about 1 acre on opposite sides of Pier View Way north of Mission Avenue. They line the western side of the railroad tracks used daily by Coaster, Amtrak, Metrolink and freight trains. Old buildings and a railroad yard that once were on the property were removed in the early 1980s. The developer, Ryan Companies, previously completed three other mixed-use projects on separate blocks west of the tracks  — The Springhill Suites, Pierside South and Pierside North multi-use buildings — within the nine-block master plan approved by the Oceanside City Council in April 2000. Also in the master-planned area, on the westernmost side along Pacific Street, other developers have built the two six- and seven-story resort hotels Seabird and Mission Pacific, and the seven-floor Club Wyndham timeshare building, all overlooking the ocean and the Oceanside Municipal Pier. And on the three blocks along the east side of the railroad tracks there are three more completed multi-story, mixed-used developments including the SALT building with condominiums and a parking structure for residents and the public. “Ryan Companies has a long history with downtown Oceanside,” said Daniel Bertao, the company’s vice president of development. “These projects have brought full-time residents into downtown, strengthening businesses year-round, and creating spaces such as the Pierside South roof deck, which is now occasionally used for community events,” Bertao told the advisory committee. Together the two new buildings would have 370 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments and six live-work units, with 10% of the apartments reserved as affordable housing for qualified tenants. The buildings also would have a little more than 17,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floors. By including the affordable housing, the developer qualifies for an increased density, meaning more housing than otherwise allowed by city zoning. It also allows the waiver of local standards for things such as sidewalk setbacks and building heights. Multi-story, mixed-used developments are proposed for two vacant blocks in downtown Oceanside. They are the paved parking lots at center along the west side of the railroad tracks, between Mission Avenue and Civic Center Drive. (Photo by John Gastaldo for the Union-Tribune) The loss of the two public parking lots now on the property was a significant issue raised by residents who attended community meetings held by the developer to collect feedback on the proposal, Bertao said. Each building will have a three-level parking garage with two levels underground. The buildings will have one parking space for each studio or one-bedroom apartment and 1.5 spaces for each two-bedroom apartment, with no guest parking. Parking also will be provided for restaurant and retail uses in the structure. “The city never intended for these sites to remain parking lots, and fortunately has a plan for this with various public lots across downtown,” Bertao said. Diane Nygaard, an Oceanside resident and representative of the nonprofit Preserve Calavera, said the developer’s request for 14 waivers of city development standards is excessive. “They get the prize for lowering the bar for waiving more of our conditions than any other project we’ve seen in the downtown,” Nygaard said. “We are short-changing the residents, and we are shortchanging the community.” The 10% of the apartments reserved for affordable housing in the project is insufficient, she said. In January 2024, the city increased the minimum requirement to 15%, but the Ryan Companies’ application was filed before that and was not affected. Downtown Advisory Committee Vice Chair Heather Manley, who led the August meeting in the absence of Chair Lauren Sweeton, also was disappointed with the proposal to develop Blocks 5 and 20. “This project is located in the heart of downtown Oceanside, and it does not feel like the heart of downtown Oceanside,” Manley said. “It lacks character,” she said. “There could have been a much better design with open space considerations, colors, just something a bit more inviting and less industrial.” A big part of Oceanside’s appeal is its “walkability and beach-town vibe,” said another resident at the meeting, and the proposed buildings would create a “concrete canyon feeling that we don’t want to have in our community.” Similar concerns have surfaced for other large Oceanside developments and are likely to arise again. Other speakers expressed concerns about how the lengthy construction would affect downtown traffic, especially with two other large mixed-use projects recently approved just outside the master-planned area. One of the nearby projects coming soon is a seven-story, mixed-use development with 326 apartments, retail stores and restaurants to replace the Regal Cinema center that opened in 2001 on Mission Avenue, just east of the master-planned blocks. The council initially balked at the Regal project in August, when it postponed a decision and asked for minor changes. Eight weeks later, the developer returned with several modifications, including an expanded public plaza at the main entrance, and the council unanimously approved the proposal. Also in the timeline is the redevelopment of the Oceanside Transit Center. That 10-acre project, on Tremont Street a few blocks south of Mission, will include 547 apartments, a 170-room hotel, a multi-story office building, a parking garage, shops, restaurants and more. The Transit Center’s redevelopment had been planned for years, but the City Council also delayed its approval last year. Council members asked questions about rerouting bus traffic through the site, whether the construction jobs would pay prevailing wages, the amount of public open space available within the project, and the percentage of apartments reserved for low-income tenants. Still, in November, a little more than a month after the initial presentation, the Transit Center developer offered a few minor changes and the council majority approved the project. ...read more read less