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

Del Mar will get sort-of poor neighbors one way or another

10th and 28th Streets and the fairgrounds

Plans to create 113 low-income homes in Del Mar are finally taking shape. The city needs them to meet its state-mandated fair share of affordable housing, but there isn't much room left to build, and the cost of land is sky-high.

What's more, the state wants the units to be well-integrated, rather than a standalone project for the poor.

Fairgrounds proposed housing

One solution being considered is to put at least 61 units - 54 percent of the needed housing - on the state-owned fairgrounds, located on the southeast corner of Via de la Valle and Jimmy Durante Boulevard.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Most of the remaining homes would be built on two vacant city-owned sites at 10th Street and 28th Street.

According to initial studies prepared for the city by Stephen Dalton Architects and Keyser Marston Associates, the most likely scenario would develop at least 1.5 acres at the fairgrounds or a combination of sites: 54 to 80 units at the fairgrounds, along with three units at 28th Street and/or four units at 10th Street.

10th Street proposed housing

The options require contributions from the city and county - in addition to free land from the city - ranging from $7.7 million to $13.3 million, which equates to $127,000 to $161,000 per affordable unit.

To address the gaps, they will have to use tax credit programs and federal and state funding sources. The city should expect to contribute at least 20-25 percent of the total project funding, a staff report says.

The state-owned land is free to the developer.

How badly is low-income family housing needed in coastal North County? The report spells it out: the average market rent for a three-bedroom unit is $4,100, while the state’s benchmark for restricted affordable rent of that same unit is $1,604 for a low-income household and $1,336 for very low-income.

28th Street housing

Lower income households earn no more than 80 percent of the San Diego County Area Median Income, which in 2022 was a maximum income of $89,800 for a one-person household.

The proposed units, part of the city's Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update, will benefit people who work in the service industry who can't afford to live in Del Mar.

For the housing to go forward on the fairgrounds, the city must secure an agreement with the state fair board by December 2024.

City officials hope to dodge the default plan. Should the deadline be missed, they would be required to up-zone the north bluffs for development of high density affordable housing.

At a meeting yesterday to discuss the studies, city council members said they would like to increase the fairgrounds acreage for affordable housing, which consultant Stephen Dalton said might not work because it could impact other buildings, like the barns.

"Two acres might be a different negotiation with the fairground."

Councilmember Dave Druker said the next step is the consultant, to guide them through the funding options.

"I think we need to go big or not go. Show the state how to build affordable housing on state land. The major thing is how to put as much on the fairground as possible."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

In-n-Out alters iconic symbol to reflect “modern-day California”

Keep Palm and Carry On?

Plans to create 113 low-income homes in Del Mar are finally taking shape. The city needs them to meet its state-mandated fair share of affordable housing, but there isn't much room left to build, and the cost of land is sky-high.

What's more, the state wants the units to be well-integrated, rather than a standalone project for the poor.

Fairgrounds proposed housing

One solution being considered is to put at least 61 units - 54 percent of the needed housing - on the state-owned fairgrounds, located on the southeast corner of Via de la Valle and Jimmy Durante Boulevard.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Most of the remaining homes would be built on two vacant city-owned sites at 10th Street and 28th Street.

According to initial studies prepared for the city by Stephen Dalton Architects and Keyser Marston Associates, the most likely scenario would develop at least 1.5 acres at the fairgrounds or a combination of sites: 54 to 80 units at the fairgrounds, along with three units at 28th Street and/or four units at 10th Street.

10th Street proposed housing

The options require contributions from the city and county - in addition to free land from the city - ranging from $7.7 million to $13.3 million, which equates to $127,000 to $161,000 per affordable unit.

To address the gaps, they will have to use tax credit programs and federal and state funding sources. The city should expect to contribute at least 20-25 percent of the total project funding, a staff report says.

The state-owned land is free to the developer.

How badly is low-income family housing needed in coastal North County? The report spells it out: the average market rent for a three-bedroom unit is $4,100, while the state’s benchmark for restricted affordable rent of that same unit is $1,604 for a low-income household and $1,336 for very low-income.

28th Street housing

Lower income households earn no more than 80 percent of the San Diego County Area Median Income, which in 2022 was a maximum income of $89,800 for a one-person household.

The proposed units, part of the city's Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update, will benefit people who work in the service industry who can't afford to live in Del Mar.

For the housing to go forward on the fairgrounds, the city must secure an agreement with the state fair board by December 2024.

City officials hope to dodge the default plan. Should the deadline be missed, they would be required to up-zone the north bluffs for development of high density affordable housing.

At a meeting yesterday to discuss the studies, city council members said they would like to increase the fairgrounds acreage for affordable housing, which consultant Stephen Dalton said might not work because it could impact other buildings, like the barns.

"Two acres might be a different negotiation with the fairground."

Councilmember Dave Druker said the next step is the consultant, to guide them through the funding options.

"I think we need to go big or not go. Show the state how to build affordable housing on state land. The major thing is how to put as much on the fairground as possible."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
Next Article

Trophy truck crushes four at Baja 1000

"Two other racers on quads died too,"
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