On Wednesday (Aug. 14), the City Council will finally vote on the Coast Highway plan. The proposal, developed since 2007, has two major elements: the Road Diet (cutting 4 lanes to 2, replacing signals with traffic circles) and an Incentive District for developing on Coast (both denser development and accelerated approval).
The hearing was originally planned for 2pm, but — in response to public complaints — the council last week voted to move the hearing to 6pm; it is the only agenda item. It will be held at the council chambers, on the 2nd floor of 300 N. Coast Highway.
Save South O summarized its position and arguments in a June posting. As South O residents have asked for the past three years, we call for no Road Diet anywhere in South O — i.e. 4 lanes south of Oceanside Blvd. We also the city to reject plans for any Incentive District South of Morse Street. This position was unanimously backed by the South Oceanside Business District.
While many in South O oppose any Road Diet, the June 10 Planning Commission hearing made clear that many residents downtown (aka Seaside, aka Townsite) support the Road Diet. Thus, South O asked the Planning Commission respect our wishes and recognize that South O is not downtown. South O does not want a road diet: 23 from South O testified against a South O Road Diet, while 2 testified in favor.
The Planning Commission voted to endorse Alternative 3: no Road Diet or Incentive District south of Morse Street. In addition, this option provides South O with two new protected crosswalks; as the April 2019 Final EIR (Volume 1, p. S-8) writes:
Alternative 3 would provide Class III sharrow markings on Coast Highway between Morse Street and Vista Way and curb-extending mid-block pedestrian crosswalks at Whaley Street and Kelly Street.
Eliminating the South O Road Diet
The “temporary” road diet — begun in March 2016 — has now run to 40 months. On weekends — and much of the summer — it has brought regular gridlock as residents, employees and visitors struggle to get in and out of South O from its main northern entrance.
There are many reasons to oppose the Road Diet South of Oceanside Blvd. — including that Coast is part of the city’s official tsunami evacuation route. However, there is an inherent contradiction in Alternative 3 — which increases density in the Dip while reducing traffic lanes.
In the city’s Incentive District plan, any property marked as a “Node” (purple) is allowed to be 65′ maximum height (55′ average height) and 63 dwelling units/acre.
Public records show that the Node properties around the Sprinter station total 38.69 acres. This would allow 2,437 new dwelling units — in addition to any residential development in the (blue) “Avenue” properties, which allow all-residential projects up to 45’ high.
Worse, 15.39 acres of Node properties are South of Godfrey Street. There is no way for residents of these properties (and the associated 970 units) to drive to their property without either driving in (on the East side) or driving out (on the West side) via South Oceanside.
Some claim that these residents will not have cars, but instead will use mass transit. However, cars will be important for these residents for at least several decades. The Sprinter has had only limited ridership to date, averaging 46,000/week across the entire system in the most recent fiscal year.
In addition, like other brand-new units West of I-5, these units will rent for $2,000-3,000/month, which under federal guidelines means they’ll need a household income of $80k-$120k/year; buying a $600,000 condo would also require about $120k/year. This is more than what two people making $15/hour can afford, and well above the average Oceanside household income (which is $62k/year). Clearly many of these affluent renters/owners will have cars.
Taking Action
Save South O was formed to make the concerns of South Oceanside heard at City Hall. In turn, we need your help. We ask that you please
- Email the council to voice your opposition to any Road Diet south of Oceanside Blvd.
- Come to the hearing at 6pm Wednesday:
- Wear your “Save South O” t-shirt if you have one (contact us to obtain one); if you don’t have one, please wear a blue shirt
- Be polite at all times
- When you testify, ask the council that in addition to Alternative 3, that the “Dip” be restored to four lanes, i.e. no Road Diet between Oceanside Blvd. and Morse Street.
Save South O 