Aquatic Complex Approved at City Council on Dec 7
 

We are thrilled that the Aquatic Complex on El Corazon is moving forward with a unanimous vote of the City Council on Dec 7. While it is great to get a pool as soon as possible, we also want this to work well for the long term. It is clear that the parking for the pool will affect future plans, the noise could affect the Senior Center, and traffic will impact us all. FELC presented our concerns to the City multiple times over the last year. We are pleased that the Planning Commission took this seriously and made two specific recommendations to the City Council which unfortunately were ignored. This project required a modification to the Specific Plan to relocate the swim complex from the western side of the site to immediately behind the Senior Center. We supported this minor amendment as consistent with the intent of the Specific Plan- but we felt some further work was needed to address these concerns.. We will continue to monitor all development proposals on El Corazon to make sure they adhere to the Specific Plan and do not compromise the people's plan for El Corazon- a park in the heart of Oceanside. Please CLICK HERE to read more.

City of Oceanside Aquatic Complex

City Council Votes to Increase Housing on El Corazon
Entrance to our Park Will Be a Condo Project
On November 16, despite a large group of FELC members on hand and heartfelt comments from several of us, our Mayor and City Council approved the amendment to the El Corazon Specific Plan by a 3:2 vote (Lowery and Sanchez - No). The amendment increases housing to 338 units and approved the Park Villas project proposed by the developer, Shopoff Realty Investments.

Unfortunately, the entrance to our park will now be a condo project. This is the first permanent development approved since the Specific Plan was unanimously adopted in 2009. Our objective from the beginning was to preserve the intent of the Specific Plan - the people’s plan and reject this project because it was not consistent with the Plan.

“We want to thank the 500+ people who signed our petition and the 90+ who called or emailed the City Council”.
You were wonderful!  We would also like to especially thank all those who came to the five-hour City Council meeting. The majority of the developer's speakers did not live in Oceanside, were paid, had ties to development, or were businesses that thought they would profit from more housing. Our speakers were a cross-section of the people of Oceanside speaking from the heart about why they supported the existing plan and thought this project was not good for our community. 
 
We, of course, want to also thank the two council members who put the people of Oceanside first – Council Members Lowery and Sanchez. 

Our mission is to support the implementation of the El Corazon Specific Plan as stewards of the park--and that is what we will continue working toward with your help! 

El Corazon - a park in the heart of Oceanside! 

Sincerely,  
Friends of El Corazon



Thank You George and Teri

We thank George McNeil and Teri Ellis for sharing their time and talents as long-time board members for the Friends of El Corazon. Both George and Teri are stepping down in 2017. George is an original member of FELC. He has done so much to protect the interests of the people and to ensure that the Park’s development stays as true as possible to the Specific Plan.

Teri has served as our Membership Chair for the last three years. She ensured that we have good procedures in place, helped us track member information, and made sure we had a presence at many local events. Teri brought insight, creativity and thoughtfulness to all that we have accomplished in the last few years. We wish them both well and appreciate their commitment to the Friends of El Corazon.

New Logo and Brochure for FELC in 2017
 

A Look Back at an Eventful 2016

It’s been an eventful year for the Friends of El Corazon! We are proud of our accomplishments and realize there’s still a great amount of work to be done. We continue to do our best to act as stewards of our beloved park. Some of this year’s highlights include:

+ Exhibiting at Green Oceanside Earth Day - April
+ Participating in the Annual Oceanside Native Plant Garden Tour - April
+ Coordinating the Garrison Creek Trail Grand Opening - April
+ Creating a float and participating in Oceanside’s Freedom Days Parade - July
+ Hosting our “Once in a Blue Moon” Party - July
+ Representing FELC at Oceanside’s Summer Concert Series - Summer
+ Developing a new logo and informational brochure - Fall
+ Working on the development of the View Trail - ongoing Representing FELC at City Council Meetings and Economic Development Committee Meetings – ongoing
+ Collecting and reporting on citizen input regarding the homes in our park Distributing four quarterly e-newsletters and posting regularly on our Facebook Page - ongoing Working as stewards of the park with the ongoing support of our wonderful members!

Thank you to all of you who attended events, showed your support and helped us in so many ways. We are grateful for all that we have accomplished and look forward to 2017!

2017 Board Positions Open
Now’s Your Chance to Get More Involved!

There are three FELC Board Positions open for 2017. We are looking for candidates who:

• Care about the future of our park
• Enjoy working with others
• Would like to share their time and talents to help us reach our goals.

Our board meets once a month in the early evening on the first Tuesday of the month. We work on a variety of projects and programs throughout the year. If you are ready to get more involved, want to make a difference, and want to be part of Oceanside’s history, please contact Diane Nygaard for more information and apply for a 2017 board position today!

CLICK HERE FOR APPLICATION

Annual Oceanside Christmas Bird Count at El Corazon Set for December 30

Join FELC Board Member Joan Bockman, members of the Buena Vista Audubon Society at the Garrison Creek Trail on Dec. 30 at 7 a.m. This group is part of the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) run by Buena Vista Audubon that represents the area from Del Mar to Camp Pendleton and east to Vista. Last year, 140 people participated and tallied 196 different bird species.

The National Christmas Bird Count began in 1900 as an alternative to a holiday hunting contest. Conservation was in its beginning stages, and there was concern about declining bird populations. Members of the Audubon Society began a new holiday tradition, a "Christmas Bird Census," that would count birds during the holidays rather than hunt them. Currently, there are over 2,500 individual CBCs conducted worldwide. This "Citizen Science" has been vital over the years, with the data collected by observers allowing researchers, biologists, and wildlife agencies to study the long-term health of bird populations across North America. This helps create strategies to protect birds and their habitats, and helps identify key environmental issues and impacts, such as climate change.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Happy Holidays to You!

We want to wish you all a very joyous and beautiful Holiday Season along with a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! Thank you for your membership and your support! Please consider a monetary donation to our non-profit organization in 2016 before year’s end and take advantage of the income tax write-off while helping FELC!



Sincerely,
The Friends of El Corazon Board
Diane, Jan, Ken Hacker, Julie, Teri and Joan (missing is George McNeil)