FOX 5: NEW LOW-INCOME HOUSING PROJECT PROPOSED IN NORTH COUNTY

Seaside Ridge Housing Project

https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/new-low-income-housing-project-proposed-in-del-mar/

DEL MAR, Calif. — A new low-income housing project has been proposed along the bluffs of Del Mar and developers are hoping to build 259 units, with 85 units set aside for subsidized housing.

“If you had subsidized housing just about anywhere in Del Mar, you might be a short walk to the beach, but the craziest thing about this project right here is you could actually see the ocean possibly from the subsidized unit,” said Phillip Molnar, a real estate reporter from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The proposed project would be located at the corner of Via de la Valle and Highway 101.

The city of Del Mar has pushed back against the development project, but the developers of the Seaside Ridge proposal are leaning on new state laws that allow developers to circumvent local authority if the city is out of compliance with low-income housing laws.

“If you do a project and turn it into a city that has low-income housing, the state law basically says you’ve got to approve it,” Molnar said.

The city of Del Mar has submitted their own proposals on how to handle their low-income units, but the state has not finalized their new zoning plans.

The Seaside Ridge project managers say they are really trying to assist folks who already work in the community, but who cannot afford to live in the community. The city of Del Mar has been ordered to zone 113 new affordable housing units and however they get there will be a difficult task.

“This might need a judge to come in and say, ‘Hey, you need to put this housing in or not,’” Molnar said.