Morro Hills is an agricultural-zoned residential area in the City of Oceanside. There are two Morro Hills neighborhoods: ours within Oceanside’s city limits and the other in the communities of Fallbrook and Bonsall. The boundary between the two is near Morro Hill, the large dome-shaped rock locally known as the head of the Sleeping Indian formation. Up on the hill, our neighborhood is locally referred to as South Morro Hills.
South Morro Hills Association (SMHA)
The SMHA is a voluntary and non-profit organization of property owners, homeowners, residents, and commercial farmers within the Morro Hills area of Oceanside. The primary purpose of the SMHA is to keep members informed of activities, developments, and issues with the potential to affect our neighborhood and to speak up for our interests. Every new member strengthens our voice with the City of Oceanside, San Diego County, and other agencies.
Our Voice Makes A Difference!
In 2016, a large developer wanted to build on farmland in South Morro Hills without a plan that worked with our community's residents and business owners. Together, we made our voices heard, and the City of Oceanside is now working with us on a proposed long-term plan that supports both agritourism and responsible development.
SMHA Member, Jason Mraz, and other South Morro Hills Farmers speak up on behalf of our South Morro Hills AgriVision Community Plan.
Who We Are
The South Morro Hills Association is made up of Regular and Associate members. Regular members own property within the geographic boundaries of the neighborhood. Associate members have an interest in the SMHA and are approved for membership by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is the leadership team that oversees the activities of the SMHA. Prospective board members are nominated and voted in by the membership at large. Directors serve for three years, with the terms staggered so that new Directors benefit from working with more experienced Directors. There are no paid positions, just neighbors agreeable to serve a turn and help out.
The cornerstones of SMHA activities are education and communication. Many issue areas are relevant to the neighborhood that the Board tracks monthly and is efficiently organized under committees. Interested members are welcome to serve on a committee, and terms are flexible. Information of general interest to the membership is published in this website's SMHA private membership section, the SMHA newsletter RoadRunner, and Facebook.
South Morro Hills Association History
The SMHA began with a meeting of eighteen property owners on February 18, 1977, and has evolved into a membership of multiple members. The SMHA began with the hope of working together as neighbors to preserve the South Morro Hills area by keeping informed, voicing concerns, and working with the City of Oceanside, San Diego County, San Diego Farm Bureau, and others to maintain adequate City services and orderly development of surrounding areas. Accordingly, the SMHA is primarily an educational organization, keeping members aware of issues that can affect us.
The SMHA worked with the City to bring an adequately sized water line to South Morro Hills at an affordable price. We also coordinated with the City to put in a new storm drain just north of Las Tunas and widen Sleeping Indian Road on a dangerous narrow section. We have met with developers to review and provide input to projects to help assure a quality transition between higher density to the west and the rural character of our neighborhood. When sand mining on the San Luis Rey River was a big issue, we participated in the County's effort to preserve the river through land use planning. We successfully coordinated with agencies to remove from consideration the construction of a dual high school and middle school and a waste transfer facility off rural North River Road. We continually work with the City to maintain our roads. Established in 1991 and updated annually, our long-range goals serve as the Board of Directors' guidelines.
South Morro Hills is one of Oceanside's best neighborhoods. South Morro Hills Association members are the forces that continue to work to keep it that way.
SMHA Geographic Boundary Description
The geographical boundaries governing membership in the South Morro Hills Association consist of the Rural Agricultural area within the city limits of Oceanside, CA, bounded by:
Camp Pendleton on the North;
The Oceanside city limits on the East;
The San Luis Rey River on the South;
Continuing westerly to the easternmost boundary of North River Farms;
North to lower Wilshire Road to the southern property line of 307 Wilshire Road Agricultural Zone;
West to the eastern boundary of Arrowood Golf Course;
Then North along the eastern Arrowood subdivision boundary to Camp Pendleton.
