The North County Transit District is advancing plans to build mixed-use, affordable housing projects at two Sprinter train stations in Oceanside.
The largest is a proposal for 420 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments at the Melrose Drive station, where the district owns 2.51 acres at the heart of a rapidly growing residential and commercial area.
The Melrose complex would include ground-floor retail, a neighborhood park, and easy assess to multiple modes of public transit.
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 Boulevard. That stop is close to Oceanside's commercial and industrial hub, and near the El Corazon Park's entertainment and recreational amenities, including the Frontwave Arena, the SoCal Sports Complex and the William A. Wagner Aquatics Center.
The transit district's board is expected to approve an 18-month exclusive negotiating agreement for the property Thursday with the developer, a partnership of USA Properties Fund Inc. and Waterford Property Co.
“These projects represent the next milestone in our effort to transform our transit stations by activating our spaces and creating housing in locations that connect riders and residents to key destinations," the district's CEO Shawn Donaghy said Tuesday.
"If approved, the proposed projects, which are planned to be 100 percent affordable, will provide more housing options within the city of Oceanside.”
NCTD's Sprinter train has 15 stations on a 22-mile route between Oceanside and Escondido.
District officials issued a request for proposals to develop its four Oceanside Sprinter stations on May 9, 2023. The Melrose and Rancho Del Oro responses were the only ones received. A selection committee of three NCTD employees, two Oceanside city representatives and three technical advisers reviewed the two proposals and recommended the board's approval.
"Both projects depend on complicated financing structures, which could include grant funding, low-income housing tax credits, and taxable bonds," states an NCTD staff report to be presented at Thursday's board meeting.
"Long-term (train) ridership is anticipated to increase because affordable developments, as a condition of grant funding and tax credits, often provide the benefit of transit passes," the report states.
Developers declined to make offers on two other Oceanside stations, according to the district's staff report. One was the Coast Highway station, which is in the statewide coastal zone, and the other was the Crouch Street location, which has potential floodplain constraints.
People who qualify for affordable housing make 80 percent or less of San Diego County's median income, which is $84,900 for an individual or $121,250 for a family of four.
NCTD has been working for years to redevelop the properties it owns for train stations along the Sprinter line between Oceanside and Escondido and along the Coaster route between Oceanside and San Diego.
Residential development at the train stations could accomplish a number of the district's goals.
It would provide a steady source of revenue for the district from leasing the property to developers. It would boost ridership by locating more people within easy access of the trains. And it would help cities meet state mandates for building affordable housing.
Proposals for housing at several other stations on NCTD properties are further along.
In 2020, the district’s board approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with Toll Brothers to develop a mixed-use project for 10.2 acres at the Oceanside Transit Center on Tremont Street.
The Oceanside Transit Center development will include up to 547 apartments, 165 hotel rooms, a multistory office building, retail stores and three parking garages. Preliminary environmental documents were submitted to the Oceanside Planning Division last year.
In October 2023, the district granted an exclusive negotiating agreement with Toll Brothers Apartment Living and the Waterford Property Co. to plan the redevelopment of the Escondido Transit Center with 528 apartments, retail stores, offices and other commercial uses.
The Escondido train and bus station is the largest single property owned by the transit district. The development there could cover 12.69 acres of the 18.13-acre site.
Also last year, the transit district board approved exclusive negotiating agreements with developers for projects at Carlsbad’s two Coaster stations.
West Village Partners could begin construction as soon as 2025 at the downtown Village station, where 184 market-rate apartments, 50 affordable units, a 110-room hotel and more are planned. At the Poinsettia station, Raintree Partners could begin building 146 market-rate apartments and 31 affordable units by 2027.
This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .
Most Popular
Comments / 0