Ocean Kamp, the 92-acre development of resort, homes, offices, retail shops, restaurants – and a surf wave pool – on what once was the Valley Drive-In Theaters and swap-meet property should be open to the public in 2024, its developer said Tuesday.
Mike Grehl, vice president of the development company, N4FL Worldwide, reported on the project’s progress to the Monthly Morning Meeting of MainStreet Oceanside.
Grehl showed drawings of the project, at Foussat Road and Mission Avenue and bordering state Route 76, and he projected a timeline that would put the proposal before the Planning Commission in December or January and the City Council in March if appealed.
Construction would begin next year, Grehl said, and the project would open to the public in the spring of 2024.
Rick Wright, MainStreet Chief Executive Officer commented, “I think it’s a neat project,” Wright said. “It’s a million times better than what was proposed on that site previously.”
That project, called “the Pavilion,” would have been Oceanside’s largest shopping center with a theater and big-box stores.
Also, Wright said, “the wave pool is a pretty big deal.”
“The tech is there” for the pool, Wright said, and Grehl said it really doesn’t use a lot of water.
He answered a question from Marie Martin in the audience by saying that “our pricing program has not been worked out for the pool, but a year ago the figure of $105 an hour was under consideration. The price may vary by skill level, he said, and there may be a season pass, like at a ski resort.
Grehl outlined the project into categories, like “Play”, “Stay”, “Shop”, “Work” and “Live”.
For “Play, his pictures showed guests enjoying a beachlike atmosphere around the pool, and he said there would be other action aspects of “the California lifestyle” like mountain biking and rock climbing.
The “Stay” category included camp-like resort units, with bonfires, and restaurants and microbreweries, something, Grehl said, like at Liberty Station in San Diego where there is a hall of food booths.
Under the “Work” category, he said the project would fill a need because “North County San Diego does not have a lot of office space.”
And in “Live,” he talked about the (up to 700) residential units, which he said would be both “for-sale products” and rentals, with affordable units included. He said they would be row houses of two and three stories and “not typical single-family homes.” He put the sales price in the $600,000 to $900,000 range.
Grehl promised “space for events throughout the year.” which can include performances and be used by such as the Boys & Girls Club or the school district.
As for “supporting Oceanside,” Grehl projected Ocean Kamp will provide $81 million in tax revenue to the city over 10 years, 20 acres of dedicated open space and 1,500 jobs.
He was asked from the audience about the effect on residents from noise at adjacent Oceanside Municipal Airport, but Grehl said planes will be taking off, not coming down over the project.
Next on the meeting agenda, Kathy Kinane, founder of the Oceanside Thanksgiving Turkey Trot said this is its 16th year, coming off “a really rough year“ with COVID.
“It’s coming up quickly – the 25th”, Kinane said.
When she asked how many people in the audience had participated in the Turkey Trot in the past, a majority of those in the room raised hands.
Kinane said she expects 8,000 paid entries with as many as 13,000 people at the event and 80 percent of them walk (rather than run) the five-mile and five-kilometer (3.1-mile) distances.
Shuttle buses will operate from MiraCosta College’s Community Learning Center at 1831 Mission Ave.
Proceeds, Kinane said, have provided donations to local schools and Boys & Girls Club.
She said there will be a costume contest and live television coverage and she thanked sponsors like Tri-City Medical Center, the city and Frontline Credit Union and the 800 volunteers who help at the event.
There are more volunteer opportunities, Kinane said.
She also showed pictures of the Miles of Smiles program to get youngsters running for fitness and health at local schools.
At the beginning of the meeting, Wright introduced Gumaro Escarcega as the new “Chief Operations Officer,” saying he had been promoted. Escarcega is also Director of Business Development.
Cathy Nykiel, Director of Events and Sunset Market manager, thanked everyone who helped with the 20th annual Dia de los Muertos Festival (Oct. 23), which she said will be held again next year, and the 14th Annual Haunted Sunset Market.
“Wow, that was a lot of kids,” she said of the Halloween-themed event.
Nykiel reminded that both the daytime Farmers Market and the Sunset Market will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
After Thanksgiving, she said, the ”Shop Local” campaign will begin.
Merry Maker fairs are scheduled Nov. 27-28, Nykiel said, with a Sip & Shop on the 27th. Information is available at Shop Local Oceanside.com.
Also on Mov. 27, Nykiel said, there will be an online Holiday Challenge in a scavenger hunt format for local businesses with applications available online. “It’s the first time we have done anything like this,” Nykiel said.
Continuing on to December events, Nykiel said the annual lighting of the Menorah is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Regal Plaza and on the next day, Dec. 2, there will be the holiday tree lighting with activities for all ages.
On Dec. 5, Nykiel said, the Friends of Oceanside Parks and Recreation will presesnt a holiday concert in the Civic Center plaza with music by the Mar Dels.
There will be a window-decorating contest again this year.
And, she said, the following weekend, on Dec. 11, the annual Holiday Boat Parade will take place in the harbor.
Nykiel said the Friends of Oceanside Dia de los Muertos will hold a food drive to benefit Oceanside Bread of Life and a toy drive for children in the Balderrama and Crown Heights areas. She said information would be posted on the group’s Website next week.
From the audience, Brigid Parsons announced the Valley Arts Festival from noon to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 6, at Heritage Park, 220 Peyri Drive. There will be rock and sand painting, mural making, basket weaving and the sale of Indian fry bread. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the San Luis Rey Mission Indian Foundation for enrichment programs.
The next MainStreet morning meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 7 in its headquarters at 701 Mission Ave.
