Oceanside Amphitheater Proposal Appears Doomed

A groundswell of neighborhood opposition and lack of political support at City Hall have apparently killed a proposed $27-million, 25,000-seat outdoor amphitheater in Oceanside, it was announced Wednesday.

Backers felt the plan by La Jolla-based Spectator Corp. would help establish Oceanside as a North County cultural-entertainment center, but the scheme has faltered even before a formal application to build it.

“The bottom line is, we do not expect to see this project go any further,” Mayor Larry Bagley told about 100 people who crowded into a City Council session Wednesday to complain that the amphitheater would bring noise, traffic congestion and crime.

Bagley said he would “bet the odds are probably 98-to-1” against Spectator Corp. proceeding with the project since 1,600 residents who live near the proposed 67-acre site at busy El Camino Real and Oceanside Boulevard signed petitions against the amphitheater.

The developer, Hal Kolker, a former vice president of the San Diego Clippers franchise and a former vice president of the San Diego Sports Arena, envisioned bringing rock concerts, symphonies and Broadway-style performances to Oceanside.

But according to Bagley, Kolker was discouraged by recent meetings with the city staff and council members.

Oceanside’s officials informed Spectator Corp. it would need a complete environmental impact report, and must win both a general plan amendment and a zoning ordinance change to use the sand pit area for an amphitheater. Further, a site reclamation plan would be required.

Although Kolker reportedly wanted to open the amphitheater by spring 1991, Bagley said “there’s no way he can possible meet the deadline” with such extensive city requirements. Beside the “considerable community opposition,” Bagley doubted Spectator Corp. could get a council majority on his side.

Neither Kolker or his assistant, Ray Taki, could be reached Wednesday to confirm the Oceanside plan is dead. But Bagley said “I would offer my strong opinion there is no way he can proceed with that parcel of property.”

Elated audience members left the council meeting without giving their planned presentation against the development.

Barbara De La Torre, who started the neighborhood movement, said after Bagley’s announcement that she and other volunteers collected 1,600 signatures in two weeks after area residents heard about the amphitheater.

“Oceanside is looking for symphonies, operas,” said De La Torre. “Most of the concerts would be pop, hard rock, heavy metal.”

She said many homes, including housing for seniors, are located near the site and residents would be treated to entertainment whether they liked it or not. “I don’t care who it is, I don’t want to hear them in my back yard. This is an open-air amphitheater and the principle of sound is it travels.”

When De La Torre heard about the proposal, she called police, city officials and homeowners in other locations that have amphitheaters, including Costa Mesa in Orange County, and heard stories about noise and disruption.

In November, one Costa Mesa woman settled her six-year legal battle against loud concerts at the 18,500-seat Pacific Amphitheater. The suit also involved a neighborhood group trying to force a reduction in concert decibel levels.

Kolker said during a recent interview with The Times that the Oceanside amphitheater was part of a plan to build outdoor facilities in Palm Beach, Fla., and Chicago, and to restore an indoor theater in Chicago. He aspires to become a national entertainment industry figure.

Spectator Corp. has a contract to buy the sand pit site from Collins Development that hinged on approval for the amphitheater, which was expected to generate up to 8,000 vehicles during peak attendance.

The developer gave informal presentations to Oceanside business groups and appeared to be raising some enthusiasm. Even Bagley said at one point that the amphitheater would benefit the city by bringing quality entertainment and boosting the city’s tax revenue.

Bagley “was all for it” said De La Torre. But much had changed by Wednesday, when the mayor announced the amphitheater had virtually no chance of getting community or council support.

City spokesman Larry Bauman said “considering the breadth and intensity of the political opposition, they’d really have an uphill battle.”