A compromise earned the Oceanside Planning Commission’s unanimous approval Monday of a plan residents have been fighting for more than two years to build warehouses near the city’s airport.
Instead of the 56 heavy truck loading docks requested, commercial real estate developer RPG agreed to build a maximum of 34 docks for the four buildings proposed at what’s called the Eddie Jones project. Just last year, RPG had requested as many as 112 truck docks.
The buildings and offices totaling almost 500,000 square feet will be built on 32 acres along Eddie Jones Way north of state Route 76 between the airport and the San Luis Rey River. Most of the project’s opponents live north of the river. The only access to their homes and the warehouses is from Benet and Foussat Roads, which both connect to Route 76.
Also expected to add to SR-76 traffic near the airport is the Ocean Kamp project approved by the city in 2022. That development will have an artificial surfing lagoon, restaurants, shops, a 300-room hotel and up to 700 homes.
About 35 people spoke on the warehouse proposal at Monday’s meeting, most of them residents who asked the commission to deny the project. Dee Keck, leader of a group called Oceanside Speaks Out, presented a petition she said had the signatures of 5,458 people citywide who oppose the warehouse.
“The theme of the night is to just say no,” Keck said.
She asked the commission to reject RPG’s requests, which included a conditional-use permit for the project.
“We are not pleased,” Keck said Tuesday after the vote. “Their changing the CUP by limiting truck bays based on the number of buildings is not relevant. The limits are on the number of trucks.”
The buildings will have as many as 46 other areas where light trucks, vans and other vehicles can be loaded in addition to the large truck loading docks, according to city staffers.
Volunteers plan to appeal the commission’s decision the the Oceanside City Council, Keck said.
Traffic, noise, hazards and environmental concerns are among the many issues raised.
“This project is a monstrosity in the name of economic development,” said Stacy Jackson, who lives a few blocks away. She said the warehouses will ruin her quality of life, lower property values and make it more difficult to get out of the neighborhood in a wildfire or other emergency.
Another frequent complaint has been that no tenant has been announced for the buildings.
RPG President Adam Robinson said the company builds all its projects on spec, and that it’s too soon to know who the tenants might be.
The number of truck bays needed depends on the activities of the tenant, Robinson said. Under the compromise reached Monday, the number of bays can vary among the buildings as long as the total remains less than 56.
If future tenants need more than that, any increase would have to be approved by the Planning Commission.
RPG also leases industrial space in Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido and San Diego.
City officials along with the developer said traffic and all pertinent issues have been examined and that the good of the project outweighs the bad.
The site has been zoned for industrial activities since the 1960s, long before the nearby homes were built. For about 50 years, it was home to the Deutsch Company that made electronic parts for the defense industry.
Hazardous material remain in the soil on the property from previous industrial uses and will have to be removed at a cost to the developer of up to $5 million, a company spokesperson said.
The soil remediation is expected to take several months, and then construction is likely to last about a year, officials said.
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