A complex of 17 buildings with a total of 88 three-story, for-sale condominiums, including 10 for live-work occupants, to be built in Oceanside’s historic district near the San Luis Rey Mission received a unanimous recommendation from the city’s Planning Commission this week.
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Some commissioners had concerns about difficult access to the site, but they all recommended the project’s approval when it goes to the Oceanside City Council later this year for a final decision.
The only entrance to the triangular-shaped, 4.7-acre Mission Flats complex would be from a short, busy stretch of Douglas Drive connecting state Route 76 with Mission Avenue. The entry would have only right turns in or out at Douglas.
“We definitely need housing, but this area is probably one of the busiest (for street traffic) … it’s going to be a mess,” said Commissioner Kevin Dodds.
Others said the project was an improvement over a previous proposal for the site that would have had 137 apartments and 3,500 square feet of commercial space. That plan was approved by the Oceanside City Council in 2020, but was never built.
“You guys did a great job on a piece of property that has so many constraints,” Commissioner Tom Morrissey told the developers at the commission’s meeting Monday.
Located a half-mile from the San Luis Rey Mission, the property is within the mission’s designated “historic area,” which requires the development to meet certain architectural and design guidelines. The buildings will be in the Mission Revival style, with a horizontal layout, red clay roof tiles, white stucco, and arched entries.
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Each condo will be 1,471 to 1,892 square feet with three or four bedrooms and a two-car garage, in one of five different floor plans. The access road through the center of the complex will have 20 additional parking spaces, states a city staff report.
Thirteen of the condos will be reserved as affordable housing for qualified moderate-income tenants based on the county’s guidelines.
The project’s applicant, Meridian Mission Flats LLC, estimates a three-bedroom unit in the development will sell for $740,000 to $750,000 and a four-bedroom unit will be about $900,000, according to a staff report.
Only three-bedroom units will be sold as affordable. The price for those is estimated to be $445,000, resulting in a subsidy of $295,000 to be absorbed by the developer, the report states.
The site is tucked between two shopping centers, one of which includes the Oceanside Police Department headquarters. An old house, outbuildings and a barn on the property for many years were demolished recently.
The property is a remnant of what was once a large working ranch purchased by David L. Jones in 1911, according to a city staff report. The land was initially farmed for beans, oats and wheat, and later became a dairy farm and then a beef ranch.
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