Del Mar City Council has pushed back a decision on affordable housing agreements tied to a tiny, city-owned lot on 10th Street, moving the vote from last Tuesday to Nov. 10. The delay came after city staff consulted with the state housing department to figure out what steps are needed to keep Del Mar's Housing Element in compliance, pausing proposed agreements with Gangi Development that would have established a negotiating period and a timeline for predevelopment work.
What the Postponed Vote Would Have Done
The agenda item, had it moved forward, would have awarded Gangi Development an Exclusive Negotiating Rights Agreement and a Predevelopment Funding Agreement, according to a City of Del Mar news release. That would have cleared the way for plans, studies, community outreach, environmental review and entitlement work tied to the 0.10-acre lot at the southwest corner of the Civic Center complex. City officials were careful to note the proposed action would not have approved any specific development proposal — the unit count, building design, parking layout and overall timeline remain undecided.
City staff recommended the continuance to Nov. 10 after talking with the state Department of Housing and Community Development, according to Patch. Whatever design eventually emerges will go through community outreach and review by the Design Review Board and Planning Commission before heading back to the council for a final decision, the outlet reported.
Eight Units or Four — Depends on Who You Ask
The city's obligation on the lot is at least four affordable housing units, per the Del Mar news release. But the site's actual capacity has been a moving target: the city at one point determined the lot could fit eight smaller units of roughly 500 square feet each, while a consultant hired by the city found room for only four two-bedroom units, according to The Coast News. The city had allocated $500,000 to the project, but the same report notes Del Mar will need millions more in grant funding to actually build anything there — a search that already came up empty once, after Del Mar failed to land a $3.5 million Smart Growth Incentive Program grant from SANDAG.
The parcel itself has a short but contentious history. The council declared the vacant tenth-of-an-acre property surplus land back in February, clearing a legal hurdle toward using it for housing, as the San Diego Union-Tribune reported at the time.
Residents Push Back on the Site and the Money
Not everyone in Del Mar is sold on putting housing there at all. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, several residents wrote to the city opposing the proposal. Resident Jason Powers argued in a written comment that the 0.1-acre lot is incompatible with the city's housing dispersal goals and with farmers market operations held at the site, and separately said committing $500,000 before the North Bluff upzoning capacity is resolved is premature. Resident Jonnell Agnew wrote that the neighborhood is not suitable for low-income housing and suggested the city instead build on the north side of town.
Other residents, per the same Union-Tribune report, said they'd rather wait and see how many units other sites produce — including the North Bluff property under consideration for upzoning — before committing to a plan for 10th Street. Resident Camilla Rang pushed back on criticism of the original 2020 decision to use the lot, writing in an email that the vote happened during the COVID period when residents were preoccupied with other concerns, and that current residents shouldn't be held responsible for not speaking up at the time.
Part of a Bigger Housing Puzzle
The 10th Street lot is just one piece of how Del Mar is trying to satisfy state-mandated housing targets. The city's sixth-cycle goal calls for 175 total dwelling units through 2029, including at least 113 set aside for low-income households, according to a city housing update. At a May 19 presentation, the city reported that it had achieved 77%, or 135 units, of that overall target.
In May, the council directed staff to pursue a new North Bluff zone allowing 20 dwelling units per acre, intended to build capacity ahead of the eight-year Housing Element cycle that begins in 2030, the city update states. Del Mar has pursued efforts with the 22nd District Agricultural Association to develop affordable housing at the Fairgrounds, according to the city update. The fair board voted to terminate the agreement on August 18, ending negotiations; the city had counted on the Fairgrounds for 61 affordable units, according to The Coast News. The Union-Tribune reported separately that if the Fairgrounds plan falls through, Del Mar will have to fall back on upzoning properties on the north and south bluffs instead.
For now, the 10th Street question sits in limbo until the council takes it up again Nov. 10, city staff say.
