 The
article below
is more
detailed
than the
article
which appeared
in the
print edition.
November
2008 | By
Dwight Worden
 |
Proposed
Garden Del
Mar Project
at the corner
of 10th Street
and Camino
Del Mar. Enlargement. |
Del
Mar voters will
have the opportunity to vote “yes” or “no” on
the Garden Del Mar
project, a mixed
use project comprised
of office condominiums,
a café and
restaurant, some
retail shops, three
public plazas including
a viewing deck,
underground parking
and other amenities
proposed to be located
at the old UltraMar
gas station site
at the southeast
corner of 10th street
and Camino Del Mar. How
did this development
project come to
be on the ballot? What
is it? Is it good
for Del Mar? This
article will address
these questions,
leaving the ultimate
judgment to the
reader of how to
vote.
THE
BALLOT
In
the 1980's
developers
were proposing
major redevelopment
at what is now
the Del Mar Plaza. In
response
an initiative
was passed
(Measure
B) that required
all projects
larger than
a certain
size to
be “ratified” by
public vote
after receiving
all city
approvals. The
thinking
was that
decisions
on these
larger projects
are so important
that the
voters, and
not the City
council,
should have
the final
say, and
that telling
developers
in advance
that they
would have
to garner
support
from the
voters would “motivate” them
to design
a better
project from
the get go. Measure
B became
law, the
Plaza project
was approved
by the voters
on the first
try, and
the L’Auberge
project
was first
defeated,
then approved. The
Garden
Del Mar
project
is now on
the ballot
as the
first project
since the
L’Auberge
project
that is
large enough
to trigger
Measure
B’s
vote requirement.
THE
PROJECT
The
project proposes
(5) 2 story buildings,
with heights meeting
zoning and aligned
to maintain views
from the neighborhood
behind and to
provide public
ocean views for
the project’s
public viewing
deck. Just
under 20,000 square
of building space
is proposed with
a Floor Area Ratio
of 77%, and more
than 100 underground
parking spaces,
more than required
by zoning. The
design elements
are varied, with
many “green” aspects. Traffic,
parking and circulation
are managed to
minimize impacts
to the neighborhood. A
café is
proposed as is
a full service
restaurant. A
public plaza serves
as an entry, and
there is a second
plaza in the interior
and a third on
the second level
(the view deck). Street
facing downstairs
spaces will be
reserved for retail
uses, with the
second row being “flex
space”,
meaning it can
be either office
or retail. Allowed
uses and issues
such as lighting,
noise, entertainment,
trash handling,
and other aspects
are handled in
detail in the
Specific Plan.
The
project underwent
16 months of review
and more than
60 hearings before
the City Council
appointed Gas
Station Site Steering
Committee in developing
the Specific Plan
for the project. This
Specific Plan,
along with an
EIR, were then
approved by the
DRB, The Planning
Commission and
City Council. The
project includes
more than $750,000
in off-site public
benefits negotiated
by the City and
included in the
project.
IS
IT GOOD FOR
DEL MAR?
That
is for you the
voter to decide. The
City’s
Planning Commission,
DRB and City Council
think so as they
all unanimously
approved the project,
as do a collection
of community leaders
who have endorsed
the project. And,
while there is
a ballot argument
in favor of the
project, no opposition
argument was submitted. Here
are some of the
key issues:
* The
project will help
revitalize this
section of our
downtown commercial
area
* The
project is well
designed, proposes
high quality construction,
and substantial
public areas and
open space.
* The
project will provide an opportunity
for locals to have a small office
in the project, for locals to
visit the café or
restaurant, to enjoy the public
plazas, and to shop in the retail
shops.
* The
project is large in terms of FAR–77%
versus the commercial zone standard
of 45%, and will have a “presence” along
Camino Del Mar comparable to the
Plaza’s
feel along CDM. (See
the above rendering)
To
help you decide
how to vote, the
Sandpiper recommends
you review the
project plans
which are in your
voter pamphlet
as Exhibit A to
Measure G. Or,
even better, check
them out on the
city web site
at www.delmar.ca.us. And
if you want more
details, the Specific
Plan and the project
EIR are available
at City Hall for
review.
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