What’s Next for North Bluff?

The termination of negotiations between Del Mar and the 22nd DAA (the fairgrounds’ governing board) for an affordable housing site on Fairgrounds property brings the focus back to North Bluff, even as the City looks for new ways to secure a Fairgrounds site.

A February 26 Court Date: The case filed in Superior Court against the City by North Bluff property owner Carole Lazier over her proposed Seaside Ridge development has a trial date of February 26, 2027. The Seaside Ridge project proposes 259 housing units, with 85 designated as affordable, on Lazier property of approx. 6.9 acres.

The case claims that the City has improperly withheld approval of the project, and that Seaside Ridge is entitled to proceed under State law’s “builder’s remedy,” which would substantially restrict the City’s discretion over the project. A July 30, 2026 appellate court decision, New Commune, appears to favor the City’s position in this case.

A Rezone of North Bluff Triggered? In addition to the “builder’s remedy” claim, another basis for North Bluff upzoning is now in play. The failure of fairgrounds housing negotiations triggers an obligation in the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element for the City to implement a rezone of vacant properties on North Bluff (and/or South Stratford). That rezone must apply a density of 20-25 dwelling units per net acre. Density bonus would also be available.

A letter from Lazier’s attorney asserts that “with the inclusion of affordable units…, a project on the [Lazier] property could accommodate up to 271 dwelling units.” The City asserts that it is “has proactively begun…the rezoning of 11.7 acres on the North Bluff which will yield significantly more affordable housing units than [the Lazier proposal],” but that the schedule for the rezoning “is driven by compliance with both CEQA [California environmental law] and the California Coastal Act.” (Letter from Ralph Hicks, Assistant City Attorney dated Sept. 16, 2026) 

Still unclear: How will the California Department of Housing and Community Development respond to Del Mar’s failure to reach a timely deal for fairgrounds housing, and to Del Mar’s proposed method and timetable for upzoning North Bluff?  How will the Superior Court rule on the builder’s remedy and other claims by Lazier and Seaside Ridge? How will the Coastal Commission, in the first instance, and then the courts, reconcile State housing law and the Coastal Act?  These are the complex legal issues that are likely to shape the development of North Bluff, and the extent to which Del Mar retains control over that development.

A key takeaway, however, is that even with all of these complicated, unresolved legal issues, North Bluff is headed for a future with hundreds of housing units.