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Time shares, mixed-use projects ready to open in Oceanside.
They will set stage for downtown redevelopment
 MARGA KELLOGG – Staff Writer of the North County Times brings us this valuable insight on Oceanside changes
OCEANSIDE — After years of delay, the Wyndham Timeshare Resort, described by city officials as a cornerstone of downtown redevelopment, will open some of its rooms for a test run next week and open fully toward the end of January, officials said Tuesday.
Two other downtown projects that feature a mix of condominiums, retail shops and restaurants will also open in the next few months, city officials said. Oceanside Redevelopment Manager Kathy Baker said the long-awaited projects are pivotal because they’ll add to a growing mix of lodging and housing options near the city’s seaside core. “It will hopefully be a huge economic stimulation for downtown,” Baker said. “All those guests will be wandering, mingling, buying stuff.”
The projects have faced little of the opposition that has plagued other key proposals downtown. In the late 1990s, a seaside resort planned by developer Doug Manchester created a huge outcry over its potential affect on public beach access. After a host of problems, the developer’s deal with the city eventually fell apart.
Years later, change is apparently coming. Downtown businessman John Daley, a member of the city’s Historic Preservation Committee, said that although some people dislike change, he hasn’t met anyone who wants downtown to stay the way it is. “There’s no question this is definitely a turning point in downtown,” said Daley, and I believe most people in the community think it’s an excellent way to go.”
Wyndham Timeshare
Formerly known as the Fairfield Resorts, Wyndham’s 168 time-share units are sold out, Baker said. The seven-story project includes 32 hotel rooms and will have a restaurant run by the San Diego-based Cohn Restaurant Group on the ground floor. The resort sits on 1.5 acres just across the street from the Oceanside Municipal Pier at the corner of Civic Center Drive and Pacific Street and has a 180-degree view of the ocean. The resort also has two levels of underground parking and more than 7,000 square feet of commercial space.
Company officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday. However, Baker said The resort opened officially toward the end of January, she said.
Ocean Village
A few blocks away from the Wyndham, the Ocean Village project is poised to open with a mix of 33 condominiums, shops and restaurants, said Ayoub Sesar, the architect, designer and builder project. The condominiums in the project, at the corner of Sportsfisher and Civic Center drives, should go up for sale in February, he said. The project also includes two individual row houses.
Sesar, who works out of Orange County, said his project is unique because it was the first major mixed-use project to be approved in downtown Oceanside and because its architecture sets it apart.
The asymmetrical walls, painted in blues, whites and “sun-washed” yellow, reflect the waves of the ocean and the shape of sails, Sesar said. He said his project, and the others coming through the pipeline, make him very optimistic about the future of downtown Oceanside. “I think in the next two or three years, you’re really going to see major changes,” he said. “I see tremendous potential in downtown Oceanside if everything comes together.”
Oceanside Terraces
To the south of Ocean Village, a $35.2 million mixed-use project dubbed Oceanside Terraces is also set to open now Baker said. “Right now, it’s almost like we have a big triangle between the three projects,” she said.
Oceanside Terraces includes two levels of underground parking, restaurants and retail on the ground floor, 13 office suites on the second floor and 38 condominiums on the top four floors. The condos will be two and three bedrooms, with list prices that start at $700,000. Of the 38 residential units in the project, seven have been sold, Ron Douglas, managing member of San Diego-based Janez Development, said .
Douglas said a little more than half the ground floor has been leased and will house business such as a women’s boutique called Ensemble, a coffeehouse called Maui Wowi, and a full-service restaurant called Harney Sushi. Douglas also said eight of the 13 office spaces are under contract. “People are starting to move in”.he said.
Douglas said the three downtown projects will pave the way for a future beachfront Westin Hotel, which is expected to break ground in September, and a five-block condominium-retail behemoth known as the CityMark. “There will be a strong urban environment in the near future,” Douglas said.
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