HOMES, RETAIL PLANNED AT ESCONDIDO TRANSIT HUB
NCTD gives developer exclusive pact to plan 528 apartments at site
Toll Brothers Apartment Living and the Waterford Property Co. have been granted an exclusive negotiation agreement to plan the redevelopment of the Escondido Transit Center with apartments, retail stores, offices and other commercial uses.
The deal approved Thursday by the North County Transit District board of directors could lead to the mixed-use development on 12.69 acres of 18.13 acres the district owns at the Escondido train and bus station. It is the largest single property owned by the district.
“Toll Brothers is excited to be a part of the process of re-imagining and revitalizing the Escondido Transit Center,” said Michael McCann, regional director of Toll Brothers, in a news release Friday.
“We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the district and to working closely with residents, city leaders, and the team at Waterford Property Co. on this important redevelopment opportunity,” he said.
The proposal calls for 528 apartments with 15.7 percent of the units designated as deed-restricted, affordable housing for a range of low-income tenants, although the numbers could change. The transit center is on West Valley Parkway, about a half-mile outside downtown Escondido.
Sean Rawson, cofounder of Waterford Properties, said the project could be “a catalyst” for downtown Escondido, with “market rate and affordable housing ... public gathering spaces and place-making elements that reinforce Escondido as a great place to live, work, and visit.”
The development is intended to be a mobility hub for public transit riders, with bike and pedestrian trails connected to downtown Escondido.
Mixed-use development at the transit agency’s train stations is a way to increase ridership, create jobs, reduce freeway traffic and create additional revenue. The district intends to lease its Escondido property for a base rent of $150,000 annually, increasing by 3 percent each year, officials said in a presentation to the board.
The agreement approved Thurs
day authorizes district officials to work exclusively with Toll Brothers and Waterford on details of the project such as the layout, the number and type of homes, the percentage of affordable housing, other uses to be included and more.
The life of the agreement is an initial 120 days with two optional 60-day extensions. Additional approvals will be needed from the board as the project proceeds. Construction could begin in 2026, officials said.
“NCTD’s redevelopment plans address the region’s growing need to promote the use of a sustainable, efficient, and accessible transportation network while providing a sense of a thriving community
at this transit center for decades to come,” said Tracey Foster, the agency’s redevelopment director, in the news release.
Escondido is one of 11 Sprinter and Coaster train stations throughout North County where the district is pursuing mixed-use developments.
NCTD’s Sprinter rail line has 15 stations between Oceanside and Escondido. The district’s Coaster commuter rail has eight stations between Oceanside and downtown San Diego.
The district’s board approved an exclusive negotiating agreement in 2020 with Toll Brothers to develop a mixed-use project for 10.2 acres at the Oceanside Transit Center.
The Oceanside development will include up to 547 apartments, 165 hotel rooms, a multistory office building, retail stores and three parking garages at the transit center on Tremont Street. Preliminary environmental documents were submitted to the Oceanside Planning Division earlier this year.
Also this year, the transit district board approved exclusive negotiating agreements with developers for projects at Carlsbad’s two Coaster stations.
West Village Partners could begin construction as soon as 2025 at the downtown Village station, where 184 market-rate apartments, 50 affordable units, a 110-room hotel and more are planned. At the Poinsettia station, Raintree Partners could begin building 146 market-rate apartments and 31 affordable units by 2027.