What I Am Hearing From Del Mar Residents Affordable Housing

10/3/2026

One of my pledges is to be a City Councilmember who listens to residents throughout Del Mar and then does what is right for the entire community.

Over the past few weeks, I have listened a lot. Residents are generally positive about our community but also voice concerns. In the next few weeks, I will share the concerns I have heard, my thoughts, as well as specifically what I would do if I have the privilege and responsibility of being a City Councilmember.

One Recurring Concern - new residential projects that are out of character for Del Mar

Residents are rightfully concerned about projects like the expanded Watermark, the proposed 259 unit “mega” project on the North Bluff, a possible “mega” project on the South Bluff, and smaller projects being “dropped” into our community like the 4-8 unit 100% affordable housing project next to the Del Mar City Hall that the City Council has taken initial the initial step of declaring the land available for development,

So why is this happening? The answer is that Del Mar has effectively lost control of zoning and land use laws relating to affordable housing. California effectively dictates what Del Mar will do regarding affordable housing and gives developers extreme rights regarding building of projects with affordable housing units. The real concern is why Del Mar lost some of that control.

Since 2016, California State Legislators have pass over 400 new State zoning and housing laws stripping away local control. Del Mar has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to abide by these laws – yet the problem with affordable housing has not been solved.

The impact of these laws on Del Mar is complex and I will do my best to break down why Del Mar is facing the prospect of multiple housing developments that impact our community character, as well as provide my thoughts on how to minimize or eliminate this impact in the future.

So how did Del Mar get into this situation?

The answer is a combination of new California laws that mandate cities provide opportunities for affordable housing AND a series of major mistakes by previous Del Mar City Councils going back over 7 years.

It is not easy for Del Mar to control state laws. However, the City had the opportunity to make sure the laws were properly applied and it failed to do so. The major mistake revolves around the City Council refusing to challenge the 175 unit affordable housing allocation imposed by SANDAG.

SANDAG’s allocation is based on the number of jobs in Del Mar. SANDAG calculates the jobs number and then tells Del Mar its affordable housing allocation (called the “RHNA” number). Del Mar’s current RHNA is 175 units based on 4440 jobs calculated by SANDAG.

The problem – SANDAG incorrectly calculated and grossly overstated Del Mar’s jobs number. SANDAG made several errors in its calculation but the most glaring error was including 2000 seasonal fair workers that should have been excluded. Other mistakes were made. The City’s job data at the time was also inaccurate by a lot. It is likely that Del Mar’s true jobs count complying with SANDAG’s own rules is approximately 1325 jobs vs SANDAG’s 4400. Simple math shows Del Mar RHNA allocation should be 53 units vs the 175 units imposed by SANDAG.

To her credit, Councilmember Terry Gaasterland on June 19, 2020 publicly challenged the jobs number, however, a majority of the City Council refused to support challenging SANDAG job’s numbers.

It gets worse. SANDAG officials admitted Del Mar’s jobs number and the RHNA calculation were wrong yet SANDAG convinced City officials there was nothing that could be done until 2030! Our City Councilmembers failed to press for a change of our RHNA numbers when we were clearly entitled to a change. The result – Del Mar is now on the hook for close to 2 times the number of affordable housing units than what it should have been allocated.

State Housing Laws

Affordable housing in Del Mar is driven by both State of California mandates and Del Mar’s Community Plan (DMCP). California requires all cities adequately plan to meet their housing needs through a state approved Housing Element that is part of the Community Plan.

Our Housing Element addresses five major goals regarding housing. All five goals reference the need for the city to provide affordable housing opportunities.

Through a process entitled “Regional Needs Housing Assessment” (RNHA) driven by the state and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), Del Mar is obligated to enable affordable housing units to be developed (but not built) according to household income group.

State law does not require cities to actually construct the affordable units. Instead, the law requires that Del Mar demonstrate that its land use designations and review process provide realistic opportunities for development of new, affordable units to occur.

What are the consequences of the failure to act by the City Council?

It is virtually impossible for Del Mar to meet the grossly overstated affordable housing allocation. However, California laws and housing agencies are not sympathetic to Del Mar’s situation. Del Mar now faces the following:

High density housing = potential for “mega” housing projects with up to 25 units per acre (think University Towne Center density);
Multiple projects - potential for multi-unit developments throughout Del Mar that impact neighborhood character and views;
By Right Development – the developer can avoid any discretionary approvals (e.g. Design Reive Board) which have historically protected Del Mar residents;
Height and size limits - potentially eliminated thereby impacting scenic views and neighborhood character.

What I Will Do as a City Councilmember

Only 5 of 538 jurisdictions in the entire state are on pace in issuing permits to all income levels. The housing mandates imposed by California are overly burdensome, jeopardize preserving community character, and do not accomplish the affordable housing objectives they allegedly were design to achieve.

There is no question the laws related to affordable housing have to be changed and local control must be reestablished.

So, what will I do as a Councilmember:

First, there is an active grass roots organization, Our Neighborhood Voices, promoting a statewide ballot initiative that would amend the California Constitution by returning control over zoning and land use matter to cities like Del Mar. The City of Del Mar is already a supporter of this initiative and I will continue to support this effort.

Second, I will work hard to change the laws in California related to housing and zoning and restore local control to Del Mar. Del Mar alone can’t do this so I will work with nearby cities to lobby our State Representatives to change these laws as well as create coalitions with other cities who are also struggling with these laws. We need to create a force to change the State Legislature in Sacramento.

Third, I would make certain that Del Mar is much more involved in the next calculation of RHNA number. We are in the 6th Housing Cycle (2021-2029). The planning for the 7th Housing Cycle (2030-2040) will start in the next 2 years. Del Mar must be more involved at SANDAG in the establishment of the RHNA number and in determining the accuracy of that number. We cannot just blindly accept what SANDAG says and we must validate and if necessary, challenge any RHNA allocation.

We must restore Del Mar control of our zoning
and land use laws to protect our community.

Contact

Reach out, I’m here to listen & chat.

Phone & Email

jeff@jgsturgis.com

+1-619-857-6857

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