Voters in Del Mar have rejected Measure G — the Marisol Specific Plan. Passage of the measure would have rezoned 17.45 acres of blufftop at the city’s northern border to allow for the development of a resort hotel and condominiums.
While Surfrider did not take an official stance on Measure G, we were compelled to comment on a Draft Environmental Impact Report after discovering major deficiencies in the plan’s answer to questions surrounding sea level rise, erosion, and public access to the beach.
While Measure G has been voted down, the broader need to prepare our region for a changing coastline is far from resolved. Surfrider will continue to call for policies that properly account for sea level rise and preserve our beaches for everyone’s enjoyment.
Expect to see us on the frontlines fighting for things like adequate setbacks for blufftop structures, public access, and the prohibition of seawalls for new development.
Ultimately, we hope that cities will set a strong foundation for sea level rise planning through their Local Coastal Program (LCP) Amendments, which serve as a playbook for regulating development and planning in the coastal zone. Currently four cities are working on updates of these planning documents, with the City of Del Mar’s LCP likely to be considered for approval by the California Coastal Commission this July.
Updating these city-wide plans takes time, but we are committed to making sure that San Diego takes steps to prepare for the future today. Whether we are reviewing future proposals at the Marisol site, or working on other strategies throughout San Diego County, we stand by the mantra: The seas are rising and so must we.
