Del Mar indicators settlement to barter for reasonably priced housing at fairgrounds

Del Mar’s Metropolis Council accredited an unique negotiating settlement this week with the twenty second District Agricutural Affiliation to contemplate the development of reasonably priced housing on the fairgrounds.

The settlement authorizes Del Mar Metropolis Supervisor Ashley Jones to barter with the twenty second DAA, generally referred to as the truthful board, for the lease of 1 to 2 acres on the state-owned fairgrounds and throughout the metropolis for the development of at the least 61 items of reasonably priced housing.

About 80 p.c of the fairgrounds is inside Del Mar’s boundaries.

The truthful board unanimously accredited the settlement Feb. 20. The official graduation of negotiations helps fulfill the state Division of Housing and Group Growth’s mandate that Del Mar have a plan to supply properties for lower-income residents.

“That is big,” Mayor Dave Druker mentioned on the Metropolis Council’s assembly Monday, who recommended the town workers for its months of labor on the proposal. “The group may be very grateful.”

The negotiating settlement begins April 15 and lasts for 2 years, after which the 2 events may conform to an extension. If profitable, the town would lease the housing property from the district for as much as 55 years.

“This doesn’t essentially imply we’re going to discover a web site,” mentioned truthful board Director Kathlyn Mead, who labored with the town on the proposal, in February. “This places us ready the place we are able to have that dialogue and, hopefully, come ahead with some suggestions.”

Mead and Director Don Mosier, a former Del Mar mayor and Metropolis Council member, are on the board’s advert hoc committee engaged on the reasonably priced housing situation.

Director Michael Gelfand mentioned he was prepared to barter with Del Mar, however he had blended emotions in regards to the proposal. “I’m very involved in regards to the housing disaster in San Diego County,” Gelfand mentioned on the truthful board assembly. “I simply don’t really feel that the Del Mar Fairgrounds is the place to resolve the issue.”

One other director, Lisa Barkett, mentioned it was too quickly to start unique negotiations with the town. “Is that this an acceptable web site for reasonably priced home? That needs to be our query. I simply really feel like we’re getting forward of ourselves.”

The settlement solely authorizes fairgrounds CEO Carlene Moore to barter, and any selections might be introduced again to the board for approval, Mead mentioned.

One resident at Del Mar’s assembly Monday raised a priority that the fairgrounds housing could possibly be used for short-term trip leases, and requested if that could possibly be prevented. Quick-term leases have been proven to scale back the inventory of long-term housing and to drive up housing prices usually.

Jones, the town supervisor, mentioned state guidelines for reasonably priced housing don’t permit short-term leases, and situations could possibly be added to additional guarantee that doesn’t occur.

Areas being thought-about for the housing are close to the fireplace station simply off Jimmy Durante Boulevard, between an exhibition corridor and the fairgrounds’ foremost car parking zone.

Del Mar’s normal plan housing component, adopted in 2021 and licensed by the state in 2023, units out a plan for the town to create housing for at the least 113 lower-income households. Along with the 61 items of fairgrounds housing, the town intends to work with personal property homeowners to supply the remaining 52 reasonably priced items.

Del Mar has little to no reasonably priced housing. The median itemizing in Del Mar was $4.4 million in January 2024, in keeping with the web site realtor.com.