NCTD Board of Directors enter into general partnership for redevelopment of Escondido Transit Center

The North County Transit District's (NCTD) Board of Directors have voted in favor of entering into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) with Toll Brothers Apartment Living and Waterford Property Company. The ENA is a general partnership for the redevelopment of the Escondido Transit Center.

The NCTD Board action is the first step toward transforming the existing transit center into a more welcoming community gathering space where residents and visitors can live, work, play and ride.

“Redeveloping the Escondido Transit Center will improve the rider experience, bring new amenities and generate transit ridership by activating the site and connecting it to needed housing and retail space,” said Tracey Foster, NCTD’s chief development officer. “We are confident that Toll Brothers and Waterford have the requisite experience and knowledge of the Escondido community to make the project successful.”

A Request for Proposals (RFP) was advertised from October 2022 through May 2023 to solicit for a mixed-use development project at NCTD’s Escondido Transit Center. Redevelopment of the site will maximize underutilized land around the existing center and create an engaging mobility hub that will increase ridership and regional connectivity, enhance the overall transit experience and support sustainability goals.

The criteria in the RFP emphasized transit prioritization and transit amenities. The board authorized an exclusive negotiating agreement with Toll Brothers and Waterford on the 12.69-acre Escondido Transit Center site.  Entering into the ENA will allow all parties to work through the next steps in the planning process, including project design and engaging with the community on project features. Toll Brothers and Waterford are required to work within the city of Escondido’s entitlement process.

“Toll Brothers is excited to be a part of the process of reimagining and revitalizing the Escondido Transit Center,” said Michael McCann, regional director of Toll Brothers Apartment Living. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the North County Transit District and to working closely with residents, city leaders and the team at Waterford Property Company on this important redevelopment opportunity.”

“The Escondido Transit Center is an opportunity to be a catalyst project for Downtown Escondido – a community we’re especially proud to be part of,” said Sean Rawson, Waterford Property Company co-founder. “This collaborative effort with NCTD, the city of Escondido and Toll Brothers is sure to result in a project that achieves NCTD goals, creates market rate and affordable housing and provides public gathering spaces and placemaking elements that reinforce Escondido as a great place to live, work and visit.”

Benefits of the redevelopment project includes generation of revenue through a long-term ground lease, increased transit ridership, creation of jobs, development of onsite housing with a range of affordability levels and a reduction of automobile reliance. NCTD envisions the redeveloped transit center will serve as a mobility hub that connects to existing trails and multi-modal access points and extends the historic downtown Escondido area. In addition to supporting NCTD’s long-term goals, the project will also help fuel economic growth, support local and state climate change and air quality goals and advance the region’s transit connectivity.

“NCTD’s redevelopment plans address the region’s growing need to promote the use of a sustainable, efficient and accessible transportation network while providing a sense of a thriving community at this transit center for decades to come,” Foster said.

Escondido Transit Center is one of 11 sites being advanced for redevelopment by NCTD, all of which are in various stages of redevelopment. The other projects include Carlsbad Village and Poinsettia Stations, Oceanside Transit Center and seven SPRINTER Station locations.