Rail relocation, building electrification among topics in Del Mar goal-setting workshop

Rail relocation, ongoing talks with The Winston School and housing were among the issues the Del Mar City Council discussed Feb. 13 during its annual goal-setting workshop.

No votes were taken at the meeting, but council members evaluated some of the top city priorities that are in progress during the current 2022-23 fiscal year and looked to the work ahead in the next two years.

The city announced that The Winston School will remain in its longtime Ninth Street location until at least July 1, 2024, as the city and school begin mediation. Before announcing last month that they were entering mediation, the two sides were headed toward a March jury trial over the city’s decision to terminate the school’s lease because of a dispute about whether the school had fulfilled redevelopment milestones.

One of the biggest and most expensive challenges for the city will be moving the train tracks off the bluff. Two inland alignments are under consideration: a Camino Del Mar route and a slightly farther inland “Del Mar Heights Alignment” that would cut through Crest Canyon.

Assistant City Manager Clem Brown said the city will need to stay heavily engaged with the San Diego Association of Governments and North County Transit District to get the “best possible influence and direction on those projects.”

A building electrification ordinance was also on the city’s list as an item to pursue in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

“Some initial outreach has been done in the community,” Brown said.

Solana Beach and Encinitas are among the cities throughout the state that have already adopted a building electrification ordinance, which requires newly constructed homes and businesses.

Del Mar City Councilmember Dwight Worden said building electrification should be elevated from the city’s Tier 3 priority list, which are “non-essential work plan items that could be differed or eliminated,” to the Tier 1 list of essential services. City Manager Ashley Jones said that Tier 1 was reserved for items that the city has a legal or contractual obligation to complete. That list includes 20th Street lifeguard facility improvements, utility undergrounding, the Camino Del Mar bridge replacement project, and the Jimmy Durante Boulevard bluff repair project.

The council instead elevated building electrification to Tier 2, which is a list of items that “support city operations/values,” but are not legally required. That list includes solar power at the 17th Street lifeguard facility, drainage and alley improvements on Hoska Avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets, and assessing the condition of streets throughout the city.

The city’s Sustainability Advisory Committee has been supportive of building electrification for several years, and members have provided guidance on the process.

“All of these steps take time, so I urge you to start the process as soon as feasible,” Ann Feeney, who serves on the city’s Sustainability Advisory Committee, said during public comment.

Serena Pelka, policy advocate for the nonprofit Climate Action Campaign, wrote in a letter to the city an urge for swifter action.

“Expanding fossil fuel infrastructure will lead to future stranded gas piping and appliances and is a missed opportunity to take climate action and protect public health,” Pelka said. “The City cannot continue to delay.”