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The result of a ballot measure in which more than two-thirds of Oceanside voters rejected the construction of up to 585 homes in South Morro Hills appears to be jeopardized by a tentative ruling last week in San Diego Superior Court.
If upheld, the ruling would be a victory for Integral Communities, the developer seeking to build the North River Farms project in an agricultural area of northeastern Oceanside. Integral filed the suit in January 2020 alleging that the citizen-led referendum violates state law.
Judge Richard S. Whitney said in his tentative ruling released Friday that the referendum was “preempted” by the California Legislature’s efforts in Government Code section 66300 “to maximize the development of housing within this state.”
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Residents renewed their concerns this week about building more homes in Oceanside’s South Morro Hills, the city’s last agricultural region.
The proposed South Morro Hills Community Plan, presented to the Oceanside City Council last week, would reduce minimum lot sizes from 2.5 acres to 1 acre and would allow “clustered” residential development with lots as small as 2,000 square feet on portions of parcels of 20 acres or larger.
Some longtime Oceanside residents, speaking during the council’s public discussion of the idea, opposed any increase in the residential density of the 5.4-square-mile region on the city’s northeast corner. Others, mostly representing the area’s largest and oldest farming families, said more homes are needed to support the development and agri-tourism that could sustain the region.
Moonshining culture: Grammy-winner Dom Flemons to livestream concert for film project
Beth Beasley, Times-News correspondent
A livestreamed performance March 25 from Grammy Award-winning musician Dom Flemons will help fund the latest film project from the Center for Cultural Preservation, titled “Moonshining in the Mountains.”
A co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Flemons is a self-proclaimed American songster who’s dedicated to sharing the history behind American music.
“Dom is not only a gifted multi-instrumental performer, he also does his own research on traditional music and the talented African-American forefathers and foremothers that were the bedrock of old time music in this country,” says David Weintraub, executive director of the Center for Cultural Preservation.
Oceanside is pushing to complete a comprehensive update of its General Plan in 2021, the first overall revision since the plan was created in the 1970s.
The General Plan is sometimes called the city’s “constitution” or its “blueprint for growth.” The document outlines where homes and businesses can be built, how wide streets should be, what environmental safeguards should be applied and much more.
“Oceanside’s planners have set good goals for its General Plan Update,” said Dennis Martinek, a former city planning commissioner. “Only good, long-term planning will allow Oceanside to accomplish its goals of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity.”