Oceanside is not ready to pull the trigger on a new police shooting range just yet. City leaders have hit pause on committing to a permanent firing range and expanded training campus, telling staff to come back with tighter plans, clearer price tags and specific ideas for how to pay for it all. For now, they are holding off on jumping straight into construction or putting a measure on the ballot, even as the police department’s current outdoor range is on borrowed time and neighbors are watching the process closely.
Consultants, Contracts And A Bigger Ask
To firm up the proposal, city staff have asked LPA, Inc. to expand its design work so Oceanside can get construction-ready plans and detailed cost estimates. According to City of Oceanside staff, the latest requested amendment would add roughly $1.07 million to LPA’s agreement after prior amendments and studies, pushing the consultant’s total work on the project into the mid-seven-figure range. Officials say the larger scope is meant to deliver construction documents and cost models the city can use to weigh financing options and the timing of any future bond or ballot step.
Council Sign-Off And Site Options
The City Council voted unanimously last Wednesday to ask for more planning instead of locking in a site right away. As reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune, staff are studying two main paths: retrofitting buildings at the City Operations Center on Oceanside Boulevard, or building a new headquarters on a roughly 5.8-acre Rancho Del Oro parcel. An older 2009 assessment pointed to a preference for an 8-to-10-acre site for a single-story headquarters with parking. Each scenario comes with its own trade-offs for cost, neighborhood impact and how quickly officers can return to full, on-site training.
Why Oceanside Says It Needs A New Range
City records show the police department now trains at an outdoor range on land owned by the water utility, but that parcel is slated for a capital expansion that will force the department to move. In the City’s staff report on the project, officials say the San Luis Rey wastewater-treatment site is needed for an upcoming utility project and recommend shifting firearms training to a modern indoor facility at the City Operations Center to preserve rifle and night training. Planners argue an indoor range would give officers more reliable practice time and cut down on dependence on off-site ranges.
Price Tag And Timeline
How big and how fancy the project gets will largely determine the bill. The city received a $131 million estimate in February 2023 for a three-story headquarters with attached parking and an underground range, while earlier studies floated a far smaller footprint in the tens of millions. City Engineer Brian Thomas told The San Diego Union-Tribune that design work should wrap up by mid-2026, with public bidding to follow and construction expected to start by the end of 2026 and run about 20 months. If financing falls into place, he said the building could be finished as soon as fall 2029.
Community Concerns And Health Questions
Neighbors and advocates have repeatedly pressed the city to take ventilation, lead control and noise mitigation seriously, especially if a range ends up near homes. The city’s Measure X spending plan sets aside a preliminary $5 million for a firing range and training center and flags limits at the current outdoor site, while regional reporting on elevated lead tests at a nearby police range has put a spotlight on filtration and monitoring requirements. Citing the Measure X plan and coverage of range lead claims, planners say more in-depth environmental and engineering studies are needed before Oceanside picks a final site.
What Happens Next
City staff will now refine designs, carry out the requested studies and return with more detailed cost and financing options in the coming months, followed by public outreach and environmental review. The city’s budget and project files outline where early Measure X dollars might be used and show staff trying to sync the project schedule with Oceanside’s budget calendar. For the moment, councilmembers say they want construction-ready plans and a believable financing strategy before they touch any bond, loan or ballot move, which means a final decision is still months away.
