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A
Vision for Village
Revitalization
Desirable features of the village core, according to Ms. Smith, include its unique look, protected views, an engaged citizenry and community affluence. She also praised the marketing efforts of the DMVA in recent years. Negative features include unusually high “regulatory burdens” that discourage development, the City's inability to fund public improvements, and an underperforming retail sector. Ms. Smith explained that the retail businesses in the village core produce about $260,000 in annual sales tax revenues for the City; about half of what could be expected. “In fact”, said Ms. Smith, “city revenue from parking fines is greater than revenue from retail!” The report analyzed voids in retail businesses that could be successful, given Del Mar's demographics. It recommended more resident-serving shops, including convenience products, and visitor destination shops offering unique gifts. Increased reliance on internet marketing by retailers was also touted. Ms. Smith recommended reducing regulatory burdens for new development by replacing existing zoning with a “Smart Code”; a form of regulation encouraging multiple goals and objectives, not simply limiting permitted uses. Redevelopment that would significantly increase retail revenue will “require increased density”, a “controversial topic,” she said, but one that merits consideration. Ms. Smith recommended the City should assume responsibility for implementing the Streetscape Plan and adopt policies, such as the proposed horizontal-zoning ordinance, to encourage a continuous retail-oriented pedestrian zone along Camino del Mar. Addressing parking adequacy, Ms. Smith concluded the greater problem is poor utilization of existing parking, not shortage of spaces. Tailoring parking regulations for each block, encouraging shared use of parking by day and evening businesses, and new technology to enhance parking meter uses were among her suggestions. The day after her City Council presentation Ms. Smith met with the DMVA to offer suggestions for the next steps. “We are now studying implementation steps” said Jen Grove, executive director of the DMVA. She added that Streetscape has been identified as an important objective and DMVA is looking at ways to move this forward. “DMVA will also be considering ways to encourage better tenants for our village,” she stated. Recognizing that land-use issues may cause controversy, Grove expressed the hope that residents will remain “open-minded” in considering changes for improving the village core. Mark Whitehead is a former mayor of Del Mar.
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A
community-serving retail
district located south
on Camino del Mar near
9th street, more continuity
of lively store-fronts,
streamlined development
processes, and improving “perceptions” about
parking were among the
recommendations of Ms.
Kennedy Smith whose
long-awaited revitalization
plan for Del Mar's business
core was presented to
the city council on
March 17. The plan was
commissioned by the
Del Mar Village Association
(DMVA) which shared
its cost with the city.
The plan is “not
just another study” according
to DMVA president Walt
Beerle. Stating the
city has lots of completed
studies, Beerle explained
that the prior studies
were used by Ms. Smith
together with new survey
data to analyze the
pros and cons of the
business district, and
to make suggestions
for improvements that
would be a good fit.