KPBS Midday Edition

Oceanside City Council Narrowly Approves Controversial Housing Development

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, John Carroll / General Assignment Reporter & Anchor

Published November 7, 2019 at 10:13 AM PST

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

A sign on the edge of the land in Oceanside where the North River Farms development is proposed, May 23, 2019.

By a 3-2 vote, the Oceanside City Council on Wednesday night narrowly approved a controversial housing development on some of the city's last agricultural land.

It had been rejected three times by the Oceanside Planning Commission, but the Oceanside City Council on Wednesday approved the North River Farms development. The housing and mixed-use development will be built in the Morro Hills area, which is currently open agricultural land.

The meeting lasted several hours and it was contentious. It was standing room only in council chambers. Most of the 97 people who spoke opposed the project. About a third of the people supported the project. They wore green tee shirts and held signs, both of which were provided by the developer, Integral Communities.

Become a KPBS sponsor

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that most of those supporters are not Oceanside residents and were bused into Oceanside for the meeting.

Phil Diehl, who covers North County for the Union-Tribune, joined Midday Edition Thursday to discuss what comes next.

Tags

KPBS Midday Edition San Diego North County

Maureen Cavanaugh

twitter

Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

What do you want to hear host Jade Hindmon talk about on Midday?

John Carroll

John Carroll is a general assignment reporter and anchor at KPBS. He loves coming up with story ideas that are not being covered elsewhere, but he’s also ready to cover the breaking news of the day.

See stories by John Carroll

What story do you want to see told?