With a South Morro Hills Community Plan, the City will seek to preserve farmland by accommodating agritourism and housing while preserving agricultural resources and facilitating the long-term viability of farming operations.

What is a Community Plan?

A community plan is a portion of the general plan that focuses on the issues important to a particular area within a city. Developing community plans allows cities to create more detailed policies that apply only to certain areas. The South Morro Hills Community Plan will contain policies and planning guidance specific to Oceanside’s only remaining agricultural area, and will focus on supporting the continued viability of farming through expanded agritourism opportunities.

What is agritourism?

“Agritourism” is tourism related to agriculture, including facilities and activities like farm stands, agricultural festivals, pick-your-own produce farms, farm tours, tasting rooms, farm stays and hotels, and event venues. Agritourism can support agricultural uses by providing new revenues for farmers, increasing public education around farming, and improving community access to fresh, local food and farm products.

How will the South Morro Hills Community Plan build on work that has already been done?

The City of Oceanside completed an Agritourism Strategic Plan in 2017 that outlined two tiers of new agritourism uses for South Morro Hills. Tier 1 is comprised of lower-intensity and lower investment uses like U-Pick operations, petting zoos, farm stands, and small bed and breakfasts. Tier 2 is comprised of higher-intensity and higher-investment uses that may require additional public infrastructure, like hotels, festivals, and larger retail operations to sell farm products. The City of Oceanside Zoning Ordinance has been recently updated to allow Tier 1 uses; this SMH Community Plan will look at how the City can plan for Tier 2 uses in a way that is sensitive to the agricultural context, supportive of farmers, and beneficial to the community as a whole.

How can I get involved?

We need resident participation in all phases of the South Morro Hills Community Plan! Please visit the Participate page for details on upcoming events or contact us directly with your thoughts or questions.

The project team recently completed a community survey about priorities for the South Morro Hills Community Plan. Read the results of the survey here.

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South Morro Hills Agritourism Background Information

Overview

The South Morro Hills region encompasses a 5.5-square mile (3,500 acres) area of agricultural zoned land in the northeast corner of Oceanside. The area has a rich history of farming and is known to produce a variety of agricultural goods including avocados, tomatoes, strawberries, cut flowers, succulents, and wholesale nurseries. While the Agricultural zone district is primarily intended for farming, the zoning ordinance does allow for parcels to be subdivided into 2.5 acre lots and developed with one single-family residence per parcel as long as the residential development doesn’t interfere with agricultural activities.

Many of the parcels along the Sleeping Indian Road corridor have been subdivided into 2.5 acre parcels for single-family homes. In recent years, the farming community has indicated it has become more difficult and less profitable to farm based on cost of water, labor, and competition from the world market. The City, in partnership with Visit Oceanside and the South Morro Hills Association, initiated an agritourism strategic plan intended to promote agritourism efforts as a way to provide supplemental income for farmers to keep them farming.

Chronology of Agritourism in oceanside

2015: At the request of the City’s Economic Development office, the City Council authorized preparation of an Agritourism Strategic Plan with the goal of establishing an agritourism segment in South Morro Hills to complement Oceanside’s growing tourism industry and provide supplemental revenue for Oceanside’s farming industry.
August 17, 2016: The City Council received the Agritourism Strategic Plan prepared by SMG Consulting. The plan outlined a two tier approach to implementing agritourism. The City Council authorized implementation of Tier 1 recommendations with an emphasis on public outreach, marketing, education, and branding. An agritourism steering committee was formed which includes representatives from City staff, Visit Oceanside, local farmers, and property owners.
November 18, 2016: Agritourism Workshop #1 (Introduction to Agritourism) - The City contracted with Visit Oceanside to take the lead on tourism marketing and education. The first of three workshops, topics included an overview of agritourism potential, a presentation by Beach House Winery (Oceanside’s first agritourism destination), and a participant survey to gauge interest in agritourism.
February 28, 2017: Agritourism Workshop #2 (Case studies and Options) - Topics included an overview of the SMH region, an introduction to “Agrivision”, a presentation of Temecula’s agritourism industry, and a presentation for the North 40 Urban Farm in Carlsbad. An evaluation form was provided to attendees
June 15, 2017: Agritourism Workshop #3 (How to Start Agritourism) - Topics included a tourism and marketing presentation by Visit Oceanside, experiential agritourism presentation by the Greater Irvine Chamber, zoning regulations by the Planning Division, assessing your agritourism potential by UC Davis, a case study of a farm to table dinner hosted by the City at Mraz Family Farms, and an overview of available agritourism resources. An evaluation form was provided to attendees.
November 1, 2017: By the recommendation of the City Manager’s Office and Economic Development Commission, the City Council directed staff to initiate text amendments to the zoning ordinance to introduce agritourism and facilitate Tier 1 agritourism uses as outlined in the Agritourism Strategic Plan.
July 31, 2018: The Planning Division hosted a public workshop on draft Tier 1 agritourism activities.
October 3, 2018: The City Council approved the zone amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to introduce agritourism and Tier 1 activities agritourism activities. Tier 1 activities focused on activities such as limited food processing, retail sales, and recreational activities that could be incidental to existing agricultural operations. Other uses include farmstays, u-pick operations, cafes, breweries, and distilleries with incidental tasting facilities.
2019: The Agritourism Steering Committee met to discuss next steps in the agritourism process. It was determined that Visit Oceanside would continue to pursue marketing efforts to promote agritourism efforts in SMH.
November 6, 2019: In response to the approval of the North River Farms Planned Development Project on 176 acres within South Morro Hills, the Mayor made a motion directing staff to prepare an Ordinance for Council consideration; (1) prohibiting further development in South Morro Hills beyond what’s permitted in the existing General Plan and Zoning, until a Community Plan is prepared, and; (2) prepare the Community Plan for South Morro Hills and present the plan to City Council during a workshop within 12 months. The motion was approved by the City Council by a 5-0 vote.