Proposed Del Mar housing project: Wrong location

Del Mar government and developers are now planning to house 54 families on the southeast corner property at the intersection of Jimmy Durante Boulevard and San Dieguito Road. Same intersection which is Del Mar’s north portal entry. A crucial designation location of significance. Residents have long stood strong to ensure our city entry would be symbolic of Del Mar life: ecologically sensitive to lagoon, bluffs, residential neighborhood, etc., in other words, exemplify an environmentally-sensitive land use.

Cities can rebirth themselves, like our neighbor Solana Beach, while others like Del Mar might hit hard times, lacking creativity to revive downtown commerce and now proposing structures for 54 families to live on this corner. City government of Del Mar has now exposed itself, not to share the same considerations nor values as the majority of Del Mar citizens. Instead, they are committed to discard Del Mar zoning laws, which are our fundamental protection from irrational harmful change. Our city has already laid the ground work to move forward with this obscene and violative plan. Their misguided plan is to change zoning code to permit residential high density use, destroy current height restrictions where natural bluffs and topography are viewable, and destroy life and home values of those neighboring residents whom believed they were protected from this type of community land plan change.

Unfortunately, our government has victimized itself by not timely planning according to California state law. Now, instead of dismissing staff or holding them responsible, Del Mar government chooses to ignore Del Mar residents values and all their hard-fought, 20 years-plus, battles over the sensitivity concerns about this property.

City residents of Encinitas, in order to protect themselves from their city government’s contrary interests and lack of sensitivities, has recently passed Prop A. Now, the city of Encinitas can no longer change zoning laws without a public vote.

This is the time, Del Mar citizens remove the power to change zoning laws from our government administrators. The power to change Del Mar citizens lives so drastically, by changing zoning laws in the city land plan, is too much power for only a few government officials to wield.

Del Mar Hills Community Association stands behind the old saying “The buck stops here!” Since our government chooses not to be representative of what we have expressed and honored, since forever, then our entire community will need to unite and do that which is right. Tell each and every city council person to stop and listen to the community.

Stay in touch, receive all pertinent news, connect: Del Mar Hillside Community Association: delmarhillside@yahoo.com. Facebook name: Del Mar Community.

Arnold Wiesel

Del Mar