Developers of a proposed luxury resort to be built on oceanfront Del Mar property bordering Solana Beach will host a citizen’s participation meeting Monday.
The 16-acre stretch of coastal land proposed for a luxury hotel sits atop bluffs above North Beach or what locals call Dog Beach. The property has been home to private residences for the past 100 years west of the intersection of Via de la Valle and Camino del Mar.
Two Encinitas-based developers want to build a 290-room luxury resort hotel, 86 residential units, and a restaurant and meeting space at the location.
“The number one guiding principle was to build a world-class resort with no walls,” said CEO of Zephyr Brad Termini in an informational video about the project. “To not wall off the local community to design it in a way where it welcomes everyone from the local community and it can be that hub and it can be that community gathering place.”
The site is adjacent to city-owned land starting at North Beach and ending at a point overlooking the Del Mar Race Track. The developers say they plan to enhance accessibility from the beach to the walking trails and want input from the community on the design of a planned city park they will incorporate into the project.
Zephyr is partnering with Robert Green Company, which specializes in hospitality development.
Opposition to the project has mainly centered on concerns over increased traffic and the proposed height of the coastal development.
Local
Solana Beach resident Brian Feingold said residents are concerned about the stability of the bluffs, major impacts to traffic and increased use of the small strip of North Beach.
"It's a monstrosity of a project and it's going to be an egregious loss of use for residents," said Feingold, who has lived in Solana Beach for 22 years. "It will be an irrevocable change to the look and feel of our beach community and severely impact our way of life and our view of an iconic bluff."
The developer has promised the views and access will remain.
“We will absolutely maintain the wonderful oceanfront land and views,” Termini has said at previous meetings. “We’re here to collaborate with the community on ideas we can bring to life.”
The purpose of Monday's meeting is to collect feedback from the community which the developer must incorporate into design plans to be submitted to the city of Del Mar, according to a notice about the meeting.
The meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m at Del Mar Civic Center Town Hall at 1050 Camino del Mar.
