Original article: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/12/28/agreement-approved-for-131-apartments-at-vista-sprinter-station/
Agreement approved for 131 apartments at Vista Sprinter Station
Proposal also calls for retail space, more parking and other improvements
North County Transit District’s board has approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with Tideline Partners to build 131 apartments and 2,000 square feet of retail space at the Vista Civic Center Sprinter Station.
The agreement allows the district and Tideline three years to work out the details of a proposed 99-year lease for 1.68 acres at the station. Tideline would build and manage a mix of market rate and affordable studio and one-bedroom units along with other improvements on the property.
NCTD has been advancing plans for transit-oriented development on land it owns at its Sprinter and Coaster rail stations since 2020, Chief Development Officer Tracy Foster said at the the district’s board meeting earlier this month.
Proposals are progressing for six of 11 sites identified as likely locations, though so far no construction has started.
“We need to develop projects that upgrade current infrastructure to create a stronger, multi-modal system, while also generating a long-term revenue stream in the form of ground leases that will support transit operations in the future,” Foster said.
Projects are in the pipeline for a total of more than 62 acres of district property, with 2,341 housing units — more than one-third of which would be restricted as affordable – along with 850,000 square feet of office space and 55,000 square feet of retail space, she said. Each project is unique and is based on proposals from qualified applicants.
Construction began in August of this year on a transit-oriented, mixed-use project with 295 apartments in four-story buildings with ground-floor shops and restaurants on 18.9 acres near the Crouch Street Sprinter Station in Oceanside. That development is on private property, as opposed to the district’s proposals, and it includes only 30 apartments reserved for low-income households.
A transit district selection committee determined that Tideline was the best of two proposals received for the Vista Civic Center station, which is on Civic Center Drive about a block north of state Route 78. The other proposal was from a partnership of the USA Properties Fund and the Waterford Property Company.
“Both have strong backgrounds and extensive experience,” said Lillian Doherty, the district’s director of planning and development
Tideline made a stronger offer and had worked with Vista city planning officials to conform its proposal to the city’s general plan, Doherty said.
Tideline’s other projects include the recently completed Found Lofts apartment building in downtown Vista.
NCTD will receive improvements such as parking spaces, shade structures, waiting areas and other facilities worth $2.4 million for the Vista station under the proposal. The district also will get $85,000 annually in base revenue, with regular increases based on the consumer price index, for the 99 years of the lease.
The Sprinter rail line began service in 2008 and has 15 stations on its east-west route through Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and Escondido. A large percentage of riders are students at Palomar College and Cal State San Marcos.
The Civic Center station is one of three Sprinter stations in Vista. The others are the Transit Center station on North Santa Fe Road, and the Buena Creek station on South Santa Fe Avenue.
The Civic Center site is seen as a hub for bicycle riders on the Inland Rail Trail that runs roughly parallel to the railroad. The proposed facilities include a bicycle repair stand, tools, lockers and storage, and the retail space could include a café or bakery, Doherty said.
The apartments will include 73 at market-rate rental prices, 37 restricted to middle-income households, and 21 restricted to low-income households at rents determined by a percentage of the area’s median income.
Based on a survey of Vista’s vacancy rates, the development will have 93 studios and 38 one-bedroom apartments.
“They have a high number of young people, young professionals in need of housing,” Doherty said. “That’s why they are proposing it this way.”
The mixture of apartment sizes and affordability is not final and could change based on future surveys or other factors before the final product is approved, she said.
Originally Published: December 28, 2024 at 10:58 AM PST
