OC Developer Proposing Condos, Hotel On Vacant City Site In Vista

Newport Beach-based developer Integral Communities has proposed building a hotel-residential mixed-use on the south-most border of Vista.

The 17.7-acre city-owned site along San Marcos Boulevard, just west of Avenida De Las Rosas, is at the far-east end of the city’s industrial park. The project, dubbed Vista Palomar, would include 196 two- and three-bedroom condos, as well as a 100-room, four-story hotel. The city’s vacant lot is valued at about $1.2M.

The city would need to change zoning from light/light industrial to mixed-use to accommodate residential and commercial uses, as well as the business park rules, before the project can move forward.

The city’s parking requirements could also be a problem. The hotel requires 100 parking stalls, and the condo project even more. Under current zoning rules, this size project would require more than 600 parking spaces, but a mixed-use designation could cut the requirement to 467 spaces, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.

If the council rejects the plan, Integral has two back-up plans, one for 214 condos with 4k SF of ground-level commercial space, and the other 196 condos with 4k SF of retail and a 78-room extended-stay hotel. Recently, a number of new apartment proposals have been presented to the Vista City Council, but this is one of a few condo proposals. City official have been pushing for developers to build more condos and townhomes in the community to encourage homeownership. [SDUT]