OCEANSIDE — Residents opposed to the controversial North River Farms development turned in their petition challenging the project on Dec. 20, after collecting more than enough signatures from fellow residents.
Council approved North River Farms, commonly referred to as NRF, by a 3-2 vote in early November.
For more than a month, a team of residents stood outside stores in Oceanside to collect more than 10,000 signatures to place a referendum on next year’s ballot that could potentially overturn the project’s approval.
According to resident Arleen Hammerschmidt, one of the leaders collecting signatures, only 9,609 were required but the team wanted to collect 12,000 to make up for any invalid signatures collected. That tactic apparently worked.
“We did the NRF prima facie petition count and counted 10,088 signatures based on the prima facie count which is above the threshold of 9,609,” said City Clerk Zeb Navarro via email.
As previously reported by The Coast News, North River Farms proposes to build 585 units on 214.5 acres of land with additional space used for parks, retail, restaurant and potentially a 100-room hotel in South Morro Hills. Integral Communities, the developer, has also offered to make street infrastructure improvements, install traffic signals, to construct a recycled water main and to develop a trail network.
Residents have voiced much concern over the loss of agricultural land, urban sprawl, fire hazards and environmental impacts due to the project.
“These changes will negatively impact all Oceanside residents, particularly by increasing congestion along (Route) 76 and all connecting city streets, but also in terms of our quality of life, since this means expanding services that we are already challenged to pay for,” Hammerschmidt said via email.
Now it is up to residents to decide the fate of North River Farms.
2 comments
Just for record, we’re sick of the Fantasy Land renderings from NRF- this is NOT a farm- It’s a highly dense housing development. Show that!
Maybe we can get a petition together to get rid of all of Oceanside’s City Council. It’s like going to the Jerry Springer show. Feller, Sanchez and Wise have been there for a combined 60 plus years! Now we have Christopher Rodriques. His seat was bought by the developers. He is a salesman with multiple pending lawsuits for deceit and fraud! Of course, he is going to vote in favor of North River Farms – he is a salesman!!! He is a liar and an embarrassment to Oceanside and the Military! Hopefully the voters won’t be fooled (again) and North River Farms will go down the drain with the rest of the manure.
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