Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

16 acres of coastal bluff above Del Mar's dog beach finally sold

Public allowed behind locked gates to vote on design for housing, landscaping

The Tibbot family estate home, built in the 1920s, was destroyed in a fire.
The Tibbot family estate home, built in the 1920s, was destroyed in a fire.

For the first time in almost 100 years, the public recently got a look at 16 acres of coastal bluff top, probably the largest piece of undeveloped beachfront property in private ownership in San Diego County.

Driveway and security gate. Some of the California Coastal pines trees and palms may be moved.

Two of the three bluff top parcels above Del Mar’s Dog Beach along Coast Highway 101, have sat for decades, hidden behind high, vine-covered fences with large security gates. Separate families privately owned each of the parcels. The visit reminded me of Tom Selleck’s TV show, Magnum P.I., and the Master Robin Estate he lived on in Hawaii.

At the height of the real estate market ten years ago, the property was listed for $78 million.

Over two weekends in May, hundreds of residents visited the property. The developers, The Robert Green Company, partnering with Encinitas-based developer Zephyr, asked the public what they’d like to see on the property.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We haven’t done any design work,” said Robert Green. “We want to understand what the community wants.” The public visited several displays, and could vote on their preferences in housing design, landscaping, beach access, and public amenities.

We’re still about three to five years out,” said Green. The project working title is “Del Mar Beach Resort.” Several folks I talked with were positive on the potential for the project, this from a community that usually pits developers against residents. Most like myself, were just excited to see what was behind those fences and gates.

The once well-manicured middle parcel held the Tibbot Family’s estate home and barn, which were built in the 1920s, according to co-developer Green. When the last Tibbot owner passed away in the 1990s, the land was donated to Scripps Memorial Hospital. Eventually a fire destroyed the large vacant home.

At the height of the real estate market ten years ago, the property was listed for $78 million. In the realtor’s aerial photo, a large hole in the roof could be seen in the home.

While the home and out buildings of the middle estate have since been demolished, the property contains mature California Coastal pines trees and palms. Matt MacLeod of Solana Beach’s Burton Landscape Architecture, said they hope to keep most of the large trees. “We may have to move some of them,” he said.

The southernmost parcel, which contains a large two-story modern home, is currently occupied. The 90-year-old owner finally decided to sell after decades of refusals. There is also a four-acre parcel directly above Dog Beach, of the southwesternmost point of the bluff, which is the Scripps Preserve. It is not part of the project and will be left untouched.

The large vacant northernmost parcel, bordering Via De La Valle, was featured in the October 25, 2007 issue of the Reader as one of the last 16 undeveloped beachfront properties in San Diego County.

So how did Green and his partners score the rights to these three-of-a-kind parcels? The owners had previously rejected realtor offers from around the world, worth millions of dollars. “We’re local, we worked hard, and we had the right timing,” said Green.

The project tentatively will include a luxury hotel and about 100 small, individually owned units. “No time shares,” said Green.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

Next Article

East San Diego County has only one bike lane

So you can get out of town – from Santee to Tierrasanta
The Tibbot family estate home, built in the 1920s, was destroyed in a fire.
The Tibbot family estate home, built in the 1920s, was destroyed in a fire.

For the first time in almost 100 years, the public recently got a look at 16 acres of coastal bluff top, probably the largest piece of undeveloped beachfront property in private ownership in San Diego County.

Driveway and security gate. Some of the California Coastal pines trees and palms may be moved.

Two of the three bluff top parcels above Del Mar’s Dog Beach along Coast Highway 101, have sat for decades, hidden behind high, vine-covered fences with large security gates. Separate families privately owned each of the parcels. The visit reminded me of Tom Selleck’s TV show, Magnum P.I., and the Master Robin Estate he lived on in Hawaii.

At the height of the real estate market ten years ago, the property was listed for $78 million.

Over two weekends in May, hundreds of residents visited the property. The developers, The Robert Green Company, partnering with Encinitas-based developer Zephyr, asked the public what they’d like to see on the property.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We haven’t done any design work,” said Robert Green. “We want to understand what the community wants.” The public visited several displays, and could vote on their preferences in housing design, landscaping, beach access, and public amenities.

We’re still about three to five years out,” said Green. The project working title is “Del Mar Beach Resort.” Several folks I talked with were positive on the potential for the project, this from a community that usually pits developers against residents. Most like myself, were just excited to see what was behind those fences and gates.

The once well-manicured middle parcel held the Tibbot Family’s estate home and barn, which were built in the 1920s, according to co-developer Green. When the last Tibbot owner passed away in the 1990s, the land was donated to Scripps Memorial Hospital. Eventually a fire destroyed the large vacant home.

At the height of the real estate market ten years ago, the property was listed for $78 million. In the realtor’s aerial photo, a large hole in the roof could be seen in the home.

While the home and out buildings of the middle estate have since been demolished, the property contains mature California Coastal pines trees and palms. Matt MacLeod of Solana Beach’s Burton Landscape Architecture, said they hope to keep most of the large trees. “We may have to move some of them,” he said.

The southernmost parcel, which contains a large two-story modern home, is currently occupied. The 90-year-old owner finally decided to sell after decades of refusals. There is also a four-acre parcel directly above Dog Beach, of the southwesternmost point of the bluff, which is the Scripps Preserve. It is not part of the project and will be left untouched.

The large vacant northernmost parcel, bordering Via De La Valle, was featured in the October 25, 2007 issue of the Reader as one of the last 16 undeveloped beachfront properties in San Diego County.

So how did Green and his partners score the rights to these three-of-a-kind parcels? The owners had previously rejected realtor offers from around the world, worth millions of dollars. “We’re local, we worked hard, and we had the right timing,” said Green.

The project tentatively will include a luxury hotel and about 100 small, individually owned units. “No time shares,” said Green.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

Next Article

Bringing Order to the Christmas Chaos

There is a sense of grandeur in Messiah that period performance mavens miss.
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader