The Village Specific Plan for revitalization: It’s time for Del Mar to take control of its future

As residents, former council members and mayors, we have been involved with efforts to restore our downtown to meet the objectives outlined in the community plan of 1976. There has been a great deal of community input and discussions over the years, with plan after plan created and subsequently shelved. The time for planning is over. We finally have a well thought out document, the Village Specific Plan, that uses creativity, balance, new opportunities and citizen-inspired changes to build a plan that will slowly and carefully improve the quality of life for everyone in Del Mar.

We have heard many comments about the plan from neighbors, and they vary widely depending on personal interest and perspective. Will everyone like every piece of the plan? Of course not. That never happens in Del Mar. Is there something positive for everyone in the plan? We think there is: better pedestrian experiences, safer traffic flow, better opportunities for resident serving businesses, and increased parking availability to name just a few.

The Village Specific Plan was vetted through 90 meetings and workshops to get thorough community input, and the plan has been dramatically changed and improved as a result of that feedback. While the plan appears ambitious, it also contains many features designed to ensure that the plan is implemented over time in a way that avoids unintended or negative consequences.

We are at a critical juncture in Del Mar, and the vote on this plan in November will determine what Del Mar becomes in the foreseeable future. We encourage you to examine the facts of the plan and to base your decision on those facts rather than the typical campaign rhetoric surrounding most issues this election year. With facts in hand, we believe you will decide that the positive changes offered by this plan far outweigh the alternative of doing nothing.

There is simply no way to keep things the same as they have always been. Do we let Del Mar go the way of many other beach communities where everyone drives through our town on their way to the beach? Or do we finally take serious, deliberate steps toward implementing the vision of our community plan?

Lives change and circumstances change, and we believe that Del Mar must define the changes in our own way or be changed by outside forces over which we have no control.

You get to decide this November. We encourage you to vote yes for Proposition J, and let Del Mar continue to control its future for the benefit of current and future generations.

Richard Earnest

Former Councilmember & Mayor

City of Del Mar

Crystal Crawford

Former Councilmember & Mayor

City of Del Mar