Oceanside OKs construction of apartment building for homeless.

City Council delays vote on proposed emergency shelter

Oceanside’s City Council approved construction of a 60-unit apartment complex with assistance services for the homeless this week, but postponed a decision on who will operate a 50-bed emergency shelter proposed

for the former Ocean Shores High School Campus.

Supporters of the shelter said the delay could mean lost funding and endanger the project, but council members said the extra time would give more people time to learn about proposal and answer questions they may have.

Councilman Christopher Rodriguez questioned the need for both projects at

Wednesday’s council meeting, saying “There is a population in our city that will be dependent on government for the rest of their lives,” and that to support those people is a drain on taxpayers.

The developers of the Greenbrier Village Apartments, proposed for a vacant lot just east of Interstate 5 on Greenbrier Drive between Apple Street and Oceanside Boulevard, “don’t have any skin in the game,” Rodriguez said, adding that they depend entirely on government loans and grants.

National Community Renaissance Vice President for Acquisitions and Forward Planning John Seymour, one of the developers, said that is wrong and pointed to a city staff report that shows his company is investing $2 million to purchase the property at the outset of the deal.

Rodriguez also questioned the 3 percent interest rate on a $3.5 million loan the developer requested from the city for the project, saying the city should negotiate a better rate. Seymour and city staffers responded that the rate is the industry standard and unlikely to change.

Eventually Seymour said Rodriguez clearly had not read the staff report and did not understand the project, and Seymour declined to continue answering his questions. “This man is freaking me out,” Seymour said.

The City Council then voted unanimously to approve the housing project. The total cost will be about $25 million, including $16 million from the private sector and $6 million in what are called No Place Like Home funds, money from $2 billion in state bonds issued in 2016 to provide housing for people who need mental health services and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Construction of the complex is expected to start in December 2022 and be completed by October 2024. It will have 50 studio apartments for homeless people, nine one-bedroom apartments for extremely low-income people at risk of becoming homeless, and one two-bedroom apartment for the building manager.

The council voted 4-1, with Mayor Esther Sanchez opposed, to delay the award of a contract to operate a 50bed emergency homeless shelter at the former Ocean Shores High School campus until a special meeting scheduled June 30.

The city purchased the property near the corner of Oceanside Boulevard and El Camino Real from Oceanside Unified School District for $1.88 million last year with the intention of operating a shelter there.

Councilman Peter Weiss asked to reschedule the item to hear more about the two proposals competing for the contract, one from Interfaith Community Services and one from the San Diego Rescue Mission. One other potential operator dropped out of the process and one proposal was incomplete.

Solutions for Change, a privately funded Vistabased organization that helps people overcome homelessness, did not submit a proposal. The CEO and cofounder, Chris Megison, has publicly criticized Oceanside’s efforts to house the homeless.

City staffers reviewed the three completed proposals to operate the shelter and found the one from Interfaith to be the most qualified, with services to meet the mental and physical needs of adults 18 and older in a four-month program. The goal is for people to stay there temporarily until they transition into more permanent housing.

Sanchez argued against the delay, saying, “We need to continue clearing our homeless encampments, and we can’t do that unless we have something in place.”

However, Rodriguez said a motel voucher program the city approved in April gives it time. “We are meeting the acute needs of the homeless population,” he said.

Interfaith Chief Executive Officer Greg Anglea said that while he welcomed a “public dialogue,” the proposal is “time sensitive.” Costs will increase with the delay, and there are people living on the streets whose needs are not met by the voucher program.