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Fear generated by the current economic downturn is uglifying Del Mar’s downtown. Fear is feeding a frenzy for building permits for construction projects that in tranquil times would not be approved by the city. The bulky new sidewalk cafés on 15th Street are egregious examples of such fear-based planning. Del Mar’s character is suited to village-themed sidewalk cafés and small shops that complement its spectacular Pacific Coast environment. And Del Mar has remained a special enclave of preserved natural beauty and attractive buildings through the work of dedicated citizen custodians for over 50 years and careful planning. However, every so often the advocates of intensified commercialism rise up in times of financial fear to threaten that good work. The new projects along 15th Street show that we are now living in one of those times.
In the neighborhoods of New York City the restaurants come alive in the summer with sidewalk cafés. Restauranteurs take down the temporary winter vestibules that sheltered people and set up stored folding tables and chairs creating inviting areas to sit in and absorb the seasonal warm weather and colorful quilt of pedestrians. Even in the harsh reality of New York’s economy and aggressive small business efforts to financially thrive, rules of scale and intimacy of these sidewalk cafés prevail in plan approval. By
contrast, Del Mar’s
planning approval of
the 15th Street sidewalk
cafés
ignores all sense of
scale and intimacy
and visually screams
unchecked commercialism.
City management is driven
by the fear of lost
revenues and by short-term
thinking. Business
owners see an opening
for gaining approval
for projects that would
never gain approval
under a more responsible
city government. If you regard Del Mar as an attractive village that stirs the imagination and comforts the soul, don’t fear losing Del Mar to financial ruin but to commercial greed. Love our charming village? Be afraid, very afraid!
The material presented below did not appear in the Sandpiper print edition. Video of June 8, 2009 City Council Meeting Numerous Del Mar residents addressed the City Council Meeting on this topic during the "oral communications" portion of the meeting, and the City Council acted to place this item on the agenda for its special meeting on Monday, June 15, 2009.
Sidewalk
Cafes to Bloom San Diego Union-Tribune article on the City of Del Mar's adoption of the streamlined sidewalk cafe ordinance: http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/apr/25/1mc25dining201022-sidewalk-cafes-bloom/ city municipal code regarding sidewalk cafes www.delmar.ca.us/Government/Municipal%20Code/Chapter_2330.pdf City
Adopted Ordinance,
Sidewalk Cafes in the
Downtown Area, Chapter
23.30
Reader Comments How to submit a letter to the Editor
Dear Editor, Over the last few weeks, I have watched with astonishment as hefty structures have been erected along 15th Street – concrete and brick barriers (so-called “sidewalk cafes”) that will forever block some of the beautiful public views in the center of Del Mar. What I have since learned is that the City Council allowed these businesses to construct these massive extensions to their properties – on public land – without any design review process whatsoever. Why in the world would the Council have approved such a major change to our town based only on concept drawings? No public input was truly possible based on concept drawings only – clearly, not even the Councilmembers could know what these things would look like until they were built, since no architectural drawings were ever presented to them or to the public.
1) Del
Mar Sidewalk Cafes I was surprised to see the new bulky, and to me unattractive, sidewalk structures on the south side of 15th street. So, I looked into the situation, and was concerned at what I found. Sure, beat me up–I didn’t attend the City Council meeting on the new sidewalk café ordinance. Perhaps naively I thought the DRB and the City Council would see that things were done in the usual and thorough “Del Mar Way” involving lots of community discussion and input. And even if I had been at the council hearing on the new sidewalk café ordinance I would have read that “planter boxes” and “railings” were contemplated by the new ordinance as the demarcation measures to be allowed on the public sidewalk and would have had little inkling of the massive concrete and brick walls to be constructed.
Guidelines : Letters to the Editor The Sandpiper welcomes readers' letters and articles on topics of interest to the Del Mar community. We strive to provide a variety of viewpoints represented in a responsible manner. Letters which will be considered for should not exceed 100 words; articles should not exceed 350 words. Writers of letters and articles selected for publication will be notified prior to publication. We regret we cannot return or acknowledge unpublished letters or articles. Letters may be shortened and articles may be edited to satisfy space requirements. Letters and articles submitted must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Readers may also recommend or propose articles. Send to: The
Sandpiper, Box 2177,
Del Mar, CA 92014; or
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