State May Lift Ban on Beach Building : Oceanside: Coastal Commission staff urges end to development moratorium on South Strand.

The California Coastal Commission staff, possibly opening the way for a burst of beachfront development in Oceanside, recommended Wednesday lifting a 10-year-old building ban at the deteriorating South Strand area.

If the commission approves the recommendation, a stretch of property equal to six city blocks is likely to evolve from ‘40s- and ‘50s-era beach rentals and small dwellings into upscale condos and tourist-oriented businesses.

The commission clamped a building moratorium on the South Strand in early 1981, fearful that chronic beach erosion problems made it dangerous to allow new development just south of the city pier.

But now, two years after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began operating a sand bypass system that can pump 1,400 cubic yards of sand daily to the South Strand beach, the commission’s staff believes it’s time to remove the ban.

Bill Ponder, a commission analyst, said in his 30-page recommendation that the South Strand is a “unique setting,” the only place outside of Imperial Beach where people can drive along a public beach.

Envisioning its potential as a tourist attraction, Ponder said the South Strand “is the only location in the North County where the recreating public has such immediate physical and visual access to the beachfront.”

For Oceanside officials, ending the ban portends the long-awaited arrival of attractive coastal housing in an area that had stagnated while the North Strand a few blocks away emerged as a stylish enclave of $400,000 seaside condos.

City Redevelopment Director Patricia Hightman on Wednesday said: “Because of the moratorium, some of the buildings (in the South Strand) are among the worst in appearance in the city. We want to project a more positive image.”

She added, “We’re of course delighted with the recommendation to remove the moratorium” that has stymied city ambitions and blocked property owners from upgrading their structures.

“The moratorium has prevented development of the South Strand and I think the property owners now deserve a chance to develop in ways that’ll make a better beach community,” Vice Mayor Melba Bishop said.

The South Strand is a linear 6.3-acre area containing 51 parcels, including some vacant lots, and is situated west of Pacific Street, north of Wisconsin Street, and south of Tyson Street.

However, Ponder’s recommendation, which goes before the commission next Wednesday, didn’t entirely please city officials who wanted the South Strand to be exclusively residential. The City Council voted on June 19 to petition the commission to lift the moratorium.

Ponder recommended that lifting the moratorium be hinged on the city’s willingness to use one-third of the South Strand for tourist-oriented commercial uses such as restaurants, recreational equipment rentals and sales, and convenience markets.

Dan Eisendrath, a local real estate agent and chairman of the city’s Redevelopment Advisory Committee, complained that commercial development along the South Strand would be unwise for several reasons.

First, it would detract from the planned $325-million Pier Plaza project a few blocks away. That 10-block project, the centerpiece of Oceanside’s nearly 20-year redevelopment effort, would offer shops, restaurants, a hotel and condominiums.

Eisendrath believes that putting coastal businesses so near Pier Plaza “would be a detriment for getting investors into town.” Further, he argues that commercial development along the South Strand would cause traffic congestion and conflict with a city height restriction at the beach.

As Eisendrath sees it, Ponder’s requirement that one-third of the South Strand be reserved for commercial development reflects old thinking from the days before the Pier Plaza project was revealed.

“I think they’re dealing with circumstances that are from 10 years ago. Things have changed in this city,” Eisendrath said.

However, Ponder said in an interview Wednesday that it was prudent to require commercial development along the beach in case the Pier Plaza is never built. He pointed out that the huge project is still at the “conceptual stage.”

Ponder put another condition on lifting the moratorium, requiring that restraining walls be constructed on private property along the South Strand to safeguard against potential flooding.

Although the sand bypass system appears to be working, Ponder said “we still know that new development would be subject to wave attack” during high tide and stormy weather.

City officials said they don’t oppose placing restraining walls along the South Strand. The walls would not be built on public beach.