A mixed-use project with 98 affordable apartments is taking shape at Oceanside's Rancho Del Oro SPRINTER station, proposed by the development arm of Father Joe's Villages. The plan, still in its early stages, would bring affordable housing to the station area.
The North County Transit District's board voted in May 2024 to enter exclusive negotiating agreements for projects at the Rancho Del Oro and Melrose SPRINTER stations, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The transit agency said the Rancho Del Oro agreement named S.V.D.P. Management Inc., also known as Father Joe's Villages, according to the North County Transit District.
Arete Development representatives met with Oceanside planning officials last month to discuss project details, per the Union-Tribune's reporting. The proposal is a mixed-use development with residential and retail space.
Inside the Proposed Building
The building would include 98 apartments.
Beyond housing, the project would include 8,000 square feet of retail space.
Why Transit Agencies Want Housing Near the Rails
Transit officials see mixed-use development as a way to boost train and bus ridership, while such projects can support regional greenhouse-gas reduction and affordable-housing goals, according to the Union-Tribune. The North County Transit District is working with developers on similar mixed-use, affordable housing projects at several SPRINTER and COASTER stations, including the nearby Melrose SPRINTER station, where a separate proposal calls for 420 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments on 2.51 acres.
The transit district's board also approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with Tideline Partners for 131 apartments and 2,000 square feet of retail at the Vista Civic Center SPRINTER station, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. That Vista plan splits 131 units into 73 at market-rate prices, 37 restricted to middle-income households and 21 restricted to low-income households.
Father Joe's Villages' Turning the Key Program
The Rancho Del Oro SPRINTER station proposal could be part of Turning the Key. A separate project cited by a March 2024 project description, Olive Park Apartments, was proposed as a 100% affordable housing development directly adjacent to Oceanside's College Boulevard SPRINTER station, according to a City of Oceanside project description.
