DATE: August 6, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Development Services Department
TITLE: CONSIDERATION OF FINAL ACTION GRANTING OR DENYING THE APPEAL OF PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 2025-P05 CERTIFYING THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND ASSOCIATED MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM AND RESOLUTION NO. 2025-P04 APPROVING DEVELOPMENT PLAN (D22-00001), CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT (CUP22-00001), AND VARIANCE (V22-00001) FOR THE PROPOSED EDDIE JONES WAREHOUSE, MANUFACTURING, AND OFFICE FACILITY MULTI-BUILDING AND TRUCK BAY REDUCTION ALTERNATIVE (“MBTRA”) AT 250 EDDIE JONES WAY AND ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION WITH ASSOCIATED FINDINGS GRANTING THE APPEAL, OVERTURNING PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 2025-P04 AND 2025-P05, AND DENYING THE PROJECT APPLICANT: RPG OCEANSIDE EDDY JONES WAY OWNER, LLC; APPELLANT: GRETCHEN GARY
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council take final action on the appeal of Planning Commission Resolutions 2025-P04 and 2025-P05 by affirming, modifying or denying the Project, and based on the May 21, 2025 intended decision, adopt the proposed resolution with associated findings (Attachment 2) granting the appeal, overturning the Planning Commission decision, and denying a Development Plan (D22-00001), Conditional Use Permit (CUP22-00001), and Variance (V22-00001) that would have allowed the construction of a warehouse, manufacturing, and office facility consisting of four separate buildings with a cumulative total of 497,822 square feet and 34 truck bays known as the Multi-Building and Truck Bay Reduction Alternative (MBTRA) at 250 Eddie Jones Road. Staff further recommends that, in overturning Planning Commission Resolution 2025-P05, the City Council decline to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) based on the denial of the project pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21080(a)(5).
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The public hearing for this appeal was conducted on May 21, 2025, and is now closed. On May 21, 2025, the City Council deliberated and approved a motion by a 3-2 vote (Robinson, Weiss - No) indicating the intended decision to grant the appeal and overturn the Planning Commission’s approval of a Development Plan and Conditional Use Permit (CUP) that would have allowed the construction of a warehouse, manufacturing, and office facility at 250 Eddie Jones Way. In granting the appeal and denying the Development Plan and CUP, the City Council’s intended decision would reject or disapprove the project for purposes of Public Resources Code Section 21080(a)(5) and accordingly the City Council intended to take no action to certify the FEIR. Similarly, denying the Development Plan and CUP would effectively deny the Variance with no further action required.
Pursuant to Oceanside Zoning Ordinance Article 46, Section 4605(E), decisions on appeals shall be rendered by adoption of a resolution and California law requires written findings in support of a decision on a quasi-judicial matter. On May 21, 2025, staff was recommending approval of the MBTRA Project and did not have a written resolution prepared that articulated findings for granting the appeal, overturning the Planning Commission’s decision, and denying the Project. In a situation where the necessary documents to affect the City Council’s direction are not included the staff report, in order to satisfy the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance and California law, Oceanside City Code (OCC) Section 2.1.43 directs that the City Council shall indicate its intended decision and instruct the City Attorney to return with the documents necessary to affect that decision, including findings as may be appropriate to the matter. Upon return of such documents, the City Council shall determine if the findings are supported by the evidence before it at the hearing, and if the decision is supported by the findings, and after making any changes render its decision by taking action on the documents (OCC 2.1.43). The City Council's decision is not final until approval of the documents. (Id.) The City Council may at this time move adoption of staff’s recommendation, it may deliberate on the findings and make changes, and it may take final action granting or denying the appeal so as to affirm, modify or deny the Project.
In furtherance of the City Council’s May 21, 2025 direction, a draft resolution (Attachment 2) was prepared for the City Council’s consideration which includes the required factual findings to implement final action granting the appeal, overturning the Planning Commission, and denying the MBTRA Project. The draft resolution for denial focuses on the project’s inconsistency with the necessary findings for approval of a CUP under Article 41 of the Zoning Ordinance and for approval of a Development Plan under Article 43 of the Zoning Ordinance, including that: a) granting a CUP to allow distribution and storage building facilities with a floor area greater than 50,000 square feet and trucking terminals with more than six heavy trucks on the premises at one time is inconsistent with the General Plan; will be detrimental to the public health, safety or welfare of persons residing or working in or adjacent to the neighborhood of such use; and will be detrimental to properties or improvements in the vicinity; and b) approving a Development Plan for the construction of the proposed 497,822 square-foot industrial warehouse, manufacturing, and office facility as proposed is not compatible with existing and potential development on adjoining properties or in the surrounding neighborhood.
The staff report and associated documents from the May 21, 2025, public hearing on the appeal are included as Attachments 3 and 4 and are also found at the following link:
<https://oceanside.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7402179&GUID=E7D0FE0A-4921-4554-8EF7-D95ECD9EE5A2> .
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact.
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
See the May 21, 2025 staff report. There is no additional Commission or Committee report.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
Pursuant to OCC Section 2.1.43, the City Council shall determine if the findings are supported by the evidence, and if the decision is supported by the findings, and after making any changes render its decision by taking action on the documents. The supporting documents have been reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney.
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Prepared by: T. Steven Burke, Jr., City Attorney
Reviewed by: Darlene Nicandro, Development Services Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. City Council Resolution Granting the Appeal and Denying the Project
3. May 21, 2025 Staff Report
4. May 21, 2025 Attachments (including all prior staff reports and resolutions on this item)