Oceanside Seeks Delay in Resort's Hearing

City officials in the North County community of Oceanside are asking a key state agency to delay an upcoming meeting on a big resort planned for the area, hoping the postponement will improve the chances of gaining the agency’s approval of the project.

The California Coastal Commission is scheduled to review next month a plan by San Diego-based Manchester Resorts to build a $200-million resort and small convention center near the Pacific Ocean. Most such seaside projects must receive the commission’s approval before development can begin.

However, Manchester last week unveiled a new design for the project that calls for moving the complex farther inland. Originally, the development would have sat on a bluff and reached down to the water—factors that the Coastal Commission may have found objectionable.

The redesigned project is similar to one that gained the commission’s OK several years ago. However, the developer of the old project eventually decided not to build it.

The City Council has already drafted a letter to the Commission asking to delay its October meeting, hoping to buy more time so Manchester’s new design can be fine-tuned. The council also set a Sept. 21 for its own hearings on the latest plan.