Transit-oriented housing proposed

SAN MARCOS A second mixed-use housing project this one featuring 416 apartments, retail space and a park is being proposed along the Sprinter line in San Marcos, bolstering the citys efforts to concentrate new housing near existing transportation corridors.

The project, which the City Council is scheduled to discuss and possibly approve Jan. 14, would be built just east of 370-unit Palomar Station, the first transit-oriented housing on the 22-mile Sprinter rail line.

Were glad to be among the first cities on the Highway 78 corridor to embrace this concept, Assistant City Manager Lydia Romero said Monday. This project will help transform the area from industrial to a walkable, livable vibrant community.

Like Palomar Station, which has been under construction since spring, the new project would include retail stores in addition to housing to encourage residents to shop where they live. It would be built just south of state Route 78 on 12 acres of former industrial land near Palomar College and the Las Posas Road shopping district.

In addition to apartments and 15,000 square feet of retail space, the project would include a 1.3-acre neighborhood park. About half of the apartments would be one-bedroom units, boosting the projects appeal to students and employees at the college and nearby Cal State San Marcos.

The project which would be called Davia Village and developed by Milano Holdings would be four stories tall: three levels of housing above one level of surface parking.

Community leaders predicted many such projects would sprout up along the Sprinter when it began operating in 2008, but the Great Recession stifled nearly all housing development for several years.

Experts say projects like Palomar Station and Davia Village will help shift North County away from sprawling subdivisions toward smart growth.

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Transit-oriented housing proposed