Site work and paving for a mixed-use development in Oceanside, California. Completed plans call for site work for a road / highway.

https://thecoastnews.com/oceanside-council-discusses-capital-improvement-project-priorities/ OCEANSIDE — City officials are discussing how to best prioritize capital improvement program projects in Oceanside, amid a growing list of needed projects and already-heavy workloads for staff. On March 4, the Oceanside City Council held a capital improvement program (CIP) prioritization workshop to discuss ongoing and proposed projects, funding sources, and how city staff is managing current projects. City Engineer Brian Thomas said CIP projects are handled among staff in the development services, water utilities, and public works/traffic engineering departments, and that the ideal workload is nine projects per project manager. However, staffing data indicate that many project managers have as many as 20 CIP projects at one time. This exceeds that of other cities, such as Vista, even though Oceanside is much larger. “Once we get beyond nine, the focus starts to dilute,” Thomas said. While the city does bring in consultants to assist with the workload, the cost of consultants pulls money away from other city priorities. City Manager Jonathan Borrego said the purpose of the workshop was not to request engineering staffing increases — there are staff shortages across all city departments, he noted — but to better understand what projects to prioritize. “This workshop is really to help us understand what the priorities are, so that as we work with the limited staffing that we may have, we can really focus our efforts and energy on those projects that matter most to the City Council and, of course, to the community as well,” Borrego said. Prioritization discussions are also crucial as Oceanside develops its 2026-27 budget, which will include a CIP budget of approximately $36 million for new and ongoing projects. Borrego said that beginning this fall, it would also be beneficial for the council to hold an annual CIP workshop separate from the larger budget cycle. The city hired consulting firm Baker Tilly to guide the development of a prioritization framework for CIP projects. This process included interviewing city staff and individual council members about the projects they consider most important. There are several CIP projects that came up repeatedly as priorities, including: Oceanside Pier rehabilitation and lifeguard headquarters, San Luis Rey River flood control, Coastal sand replenishment and retention, El Corazon Park site 1 development, Oceanside Police Department headquarters, Fire Station 8, Roadway repairs and traffic management, Connectivity and mobility improvements, and Sports fields and facilities. Al Zelinka, public sector advisory director at Baker Tilly, said there are many CIP-related challenges that the city has to contend with, with one of the biggest being the sheer volume of proposed projects. Another challenge is balancing projects the community would like to see happen with those that are state-mandated and need to be prioritized. For example, a recent state law requires the city to implement electric vehicle charging stations for its city fleet replacement. A rocky beach in Oceanside. City officials are pursuing annual sand replenishment efforts to bring sand back to city beaches. Stock photo A rocky beach in Oceanside. City officials are pursuing annual sand replenishment efforts to bring sand back to city beaches. Stock photo “There’s always gonna be the tension of trade-off decisions between what we’re required to do and what we want to do,” Zelinka said. Like all cities, Oceanside also faces funding limitations and relies heavily on outside grants to cover some of its projects. Currently, the city has around 50 unfunded projects in the 2025-26 fiscal year. “That is what we’re really up against, is a lack of funds. We just do not have the funding to be able to do all the things we’d like to be able to do immediately, or, you know, within a year or two … things do get through, but it takes a little more time,” Mayor Esther Sanchez said. Another source of funding is impact fees, which the city Oceanside voters did agree to extend the city’s half-cent sales tax, known as Measure X, by another 10 years rather than letting it expire this year, maintaining a key source of funding for public safety, roadway, transportation, and public facilities improvements. City staff said being able to assess proposed projects using a clear set of criteria, including whether they meet certain city goals, would also help determine which projects to pursue. Borrego said staff will begin developing draft criteria that will be brought back to the council for approval. Staff currently divides projects into four main priority categories: priority 1 is current projects that require additional funds to complete; priority 2 is public safety, legal, or regulatory projects that are needed to maintain public safety or ADA compliance; priority 3 is economic development projects that will generate a return on investment once completed; and priority 4 is quality of life and beautification projects. Council members said they would like to ensure they fund not only the larger projects benefitting the wider community, but also those that would significantly improve the quality of life for specific neighborhoods. “I do really have concerns that we will get to a place where smaller projects that have really intense positive impact on a community, but maybe don’t have broad impact on everybody, will get left behind,” said Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce. Some CIP projects in the city have also arisen unexpectedly, such as the restoration of the hammerhead section of the Oceanside pier following the 2024 fire. The city allocated $1.3 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year for the demolition of the burned pier restaurant, kiosk, and decking, and still needs to determine next steps for rebuilding the damaged areas. Major projects The urgent need for restoring sand on Oceanside beaches came up several times during the workshop. Residents and officials said adding sand to the city’s rocky beaches is important for the local community and for drawing visitors, which in turn brings economic benefits. Oceanside is planning a project known as RE:BEACH, developed by Australian firm ICM, which proposes a “living speed bump” that will include two artificial headlands at the Tyson and Wisconsin street beach access points and an offshore artificial reef to retain sand along the coast. Charlie Bowen, communications director for Save Oceanside Sand, said it is concerning that the city still lacks funds to implement the RE:BEACH project. He also questioned why the project was not specifically outlined in the CIP budget. “The city has already invested millions designing RE:BEACH, an innovative sustainable pilot to restore our shoreline. Construction could begin as early as 2028, yet today, implementation funding is absent. That should concern us all,” Bowen said. Borrego said the project’s design is still underway and that the funding has already been allocated. While RE:BEACH may not be a line item in the budget, he said the city has budgeted for other sand restoration efforts, such as the annual sand dredging in the harbor. Oceanside is continuing to finalize a new location for its police department headquarters, which are currently located in a strip mall on Mission Avenue. Courtesy OPD Oceanside is continuing to finalize a new location for its police department headquarters, which are currently located in a strip mall on Mission Avenue. Courtesy OPD The city has also secured several grants and continues to apply for more, as well as funds under Proposition 4. “Although we still do have to identify a funding source for the construction of RE:BEACH, based on our track record to date, I think we’re going to do pretty well. I do think there is going to be grant money out there, philanthropic money out there to support this just based on the level of public interest — nationwide, really — for this project, because it is so unique,” Borrego said. Another major proposed project is the OPD headquarters, which includes the planned police training facility. The city was previously considering expanding to a site along Rancho Del Oro Road, but that site was deemed infeasible due to high costs. However, Borrego said the city has made good progress by looking at other locations. The city is separating the training facility from the rest of the project and is evaluating placement on the west side of the City Operations Center along Oceanside Boulevard. “We separated out the training center, which was the highest priority probably, and we were able to separate that out and get that component moving,” Borrego said. Some major projects, such as the San Luis Rey River flood control project, are being funded primarily by federal funds, with matching funds from the city. The project will increase flood protection by repairing the river’s levee system and removing sediment from the river channel. The long-overdue project is moving forward after Congress approved $26 million in funding for it earlier this year. However, Sanchez noted that once the project is complete, the city will still need to regularly pour money into it for maintenance. “Once we get it, maintaining that project is gonna be significant, and that is something that is gonna be a requirement. It’s not gonna be something where we’re gonna say, ‘we can’t pay for the maintenance this year, maybe next year,’” she said. The city is currently proposing the following list of CIP projects, in various stages of progress, for the 2026-27 fiscal year: Development Impact Fee update OPD Headquarters (ongoing – additional funding needed) Bicycle Safety/Master Plan North River Road Striping Project Scramble crosswalk at Mission/Coast Highway and Seagaze/Coast Highway Buena Vista Audubon Society crosswalk (ongoing – construction funding needed) South Nevada Storm Drainage Improvements (construction) Non-functional turf removal in compliance with AB 1572 Replace the tennis courts’ lighting at Jim Wood Park at Rancho Del Oro Construction along the Coast Highway Corridor Traffic signal at Carry/Canyon (construction) Design of traffic signals at Vista Way/Paseo de Laura and Rancho Del Oro/Vista Del Oro ------------------------------ Reference Number 0000410888 Bid Intent Not Available The work to be done is described in the Plans, Special Provisions, and other Contract Documents for the above stated project. The AGENCY reserves the right to delete or reduce any bid item at the time the Notice of Award is sent. The general items of work included in the scope of work are as follows: Scope of Work: Refresh existing and/or install new crosswalks, limit lanes, legends, sharrows, and arrows; install bike lanes and centerline pavement marking; remove existing striping and install parking Location of Work: See Bid Documents and Attachments A, B, C, and D for locations and details. Time for Completion: Time is of the essence in the performance of work under this contract. All work shall be completed in every detail to the satisfaction of the Engineer, exclusive of Maintenance Periods, within 60 working days after the commencement date set forth in the Notice to Proceed. Question Deadline 02/11/2026 at 3:00 PM PT Questions are submitted online Yes, Questions should be submitted in writing via online The AGENCY reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any irregularity, and to take all bids under advisement for a period of thirty (30) days after the date the bids are publicly opened.