SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The City of Del Mar is taking another step to bring more affordable houses to the area. The plan calls for the units to be built on the fairgrounds.
“We are under the gun to build a lot of affordable housing,” says Councilmember David Druker. “That seems like a perfect spot to do so.”
Druker said the city is looking to hire consultants during Monday’s City Council meeting to develop a financial model of what the project would look like moving forward.
The city needs to zone for more than 100 affordable housing units to comply with the state’s mandate. The fairgrounds are within city limits, but the state owns the land.
“The city and the state of California would have to agree to a zoning change,” said Druker.
The proposed plan is set to have 51 units housed at the fairgrounds while the rest of the units include rezoning the downtown district.
“It also relieves the City of Del Mar having to build housing in spots that people don’t want.”
Druker said under the current housing plan, the city and the fairgrounds have three years to come to an agreement. The council member says the council hopes to build the units on the property before the next Regional Housing Needs Allocation cycle in 2029.
If the city and the fairgrounds do not agree within three years, Del Mar will have to resort to its contingency plan. This will include rezoning the city’s north and south bluffs for development.
