The tussle over a proposed beachfront housing development in Del Mar has escalated as the property owner, Carol Lazier, has taken the fight to court, filing a lawsuit against the city in an attempt to push forward the contentious Seaside Ridge project, NBC 7 San Diego reported. The project centers on a parcel of land spanning seven acres, envisioned as the site for a 259-unit apartment complex with units earmarked for low to moderate-income renters, with developers and housing advocates arguing it’s a critical move in a region grappling with a housing crisis and the city's sluggish pace in meeting state-mandated affordable housing targets.
Despite Del Mar's later compliance with the state's housing requirements, Lazier's argument, as stated in the lawsuit, is that the city was in "flagrant violation of state housing mandates" during the proposal period of Seaside Ridge, and the city’s zoning restrictions should thus be overturned by what is known as the "builder's remedy" provision though Del Mar met the state's minimum housing plan requirements some time after, it was only after the state's deadline had passed and now the property owner is demanding the city leaders to process the application and greenlight the much-debated project, Seaside Ridge's own news release stated.
Support for the project is strong among certain housing advocacy groups, with Jordan Latchford of the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego remarking, “What we really need is more housing right now,” according to a NBC 7 San Diego interview. In a similar vein, Ricardo Flores, Executive Director of the non-profit LISC San Diego, has voiced support, highlighting not only the need for affordable housing but also the potential for enhancing diversity in Del Mar, a community with a stark majority of white residents as per CBS 8.
The city, currently tight-lipped about the litigation, has rebuffed the development plan, proposing alternative locations for affordable housing that have been met with skepticism with Ricardo stating, “The place they're looking at is housing people at the fairgrounds where animals live and sleep,” in an interview obtained by CBS 8.
