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Measure G Asks To Rewrite Del Mar Local Plan To Allow Development

FIle photo of a bluff in Del Mar taken on Feb. 25, 2020.
Erik Anderson
FIle photo of a bluff in Del Mar taken on Feb. 25, 2020.

Measure G aims to rewrite Del Mar’s local plan to permit a housing and hotel project on a largely undeveloped coastal bluff on the northern edge of town.

Measure G backers are asking Del Mar voters to approve the adoption of the Marisol specific plan.

Measure G Asks To Rewrite Del Mar Local Plan To Allow Development
Listen to this story by Erik Anderson.

Developer Robert Green helped write the measure, which could clear the way for a major development on top of the city’s north coastal bluff.

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“That project is a 65 room luxury hotel, and 27 villas and four single-family residences,” Green said. “In addition to that, it’s 22 affordable housing units and 10 affordable lodging units mandated by the California Coastal Commission.”

The ballot argument in favor says the development would open up a plot of land that has been closed to the public for a century.

“The last thing we would ever do is create something that would be a problem for our community,” Green said.

RELATED: Money Driving Debate Over San Diego County’s Measure B

Developers will either build the luxury hotel and housing complex, or Green said they will build just over a dozen upscale estates.

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Green said only the first project includes public access to the top of the bluff.

But Del Mar deputy mayor Terry Gaasterland isn’t convinced the city plan should be rewritten.

“It’s currently zoned for one house per acre on 74 percent of the bluff,” Gaasterland said.

The height of the buildings in the proposed hotel complex is a concern.

Opponents are also worried about the impact of the development on the sandstone bluff.

RELATED: Housing Industry Pushing Against San Diego’s Measure A

“This bluff and its future is in our hands,” Gaasterland said. “But what we do and how we vote will set the precedent for one of the last coastal bluffs that’s natural and beautiful and enjoyed by many all up and down the San Diego coastline.”

A yes vote on Measure G changes the city plan to allow for the construction of the hotel and housing complex.

A no vote on G keeps the Del Mar city plan the same as it is.

Only the city's roughly 3,300 register voters can cast ballots on the issue.

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