DEL MAR — After reviewing studies of six different sites on its property, the 22nd District Agricultural Association board expressed interest in further studying the Surf and Turf RV Park in San Diego as a potential site for multifamily affordable housing.
Since 2024, the city of Del Mar and the 22nd DAA, which oversees the Del Mar Fairgrounds, have been working together under an agreement to identify a mutually agreeable site for at least 61 affordable housing units to help the city meet its state housing production goals.
The 22nd DAA completed a series of feasibility studies funded by the state Housing Acceleration Program (HAP) grant as part of its agreement with Del Mar.
The studies by consultant Harris & Associates examined three sites on the main Fairgrounds site west of Jimmy Durante Boulevard in the city of Del Mar. They also looked at two sites on the Fairgrounds property east of Jimmy Durante, which fall within the city of San Diego.
Three main sites within Del Mar include 1.5 acres in the east stable gate parking lot at the corner of Jimmy Durante Boulevard and Via de la Valle; 1.5 acres in the horse boarding area south of the main stable gate; and 1 acre adjacent to the Del Mar Fire Department building.
The two sites within the city of San Diego’s boundaries are both on the east side of Jimmy Durante — the dirt parking lot site and the Surf and Turf RV Park site, both 1.5 acres.
The 22nd DAA also recently decided to study a 0.8-acre site at the intersection of Via De La Valle and Jimmy Durante Boulevard, but Harris & Associates found the site infeasible for several reasons.
On June 9, the 22nd DAA staff recommended that the district continue to study only the RV park site and none of the other sites, a recommendation the board said it supported.
“On the Surf and Turf location, we’ve had some good discussions with the city of Del Mar that it was probably the most feasible. The only way that staff could recommend this site, and we made a note there, is … if the RV park site could be relocated to its size and scope of how it is now,” said Fairgrounds interim CEO Rebecca Bartling. 
The Surf and Turf RV Park already serves as relatively affordable housing for a small number of families for eight months out of the year. For many years, several residents have lived at the park from mid-September to mid-May and leave each summer to make room for San Diego County Fair and horse-racing attendees.
Staff confirmed that residents’ spaces would be relocated to a new site.
The Harris & Associates study found that the RV park site, the dirt parking lot, and the intersection site would not be feasible for meeting Del Mar’s state deadlines.
The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has set a firm November deadline for Del Mar and the Fairgrounds to approve a ground lease for affordable housing on their property.
Before proceeding with further studies, board member Ted Miyahara recommended that the district reach out to the city of San Diego to gauge its interest in annexing the RV park land to the city of Del Mar so that any affordable units built there could count toward Del Mar’s housing quotas.
“But the first step, if the city says no, then we have our answer and that doesn’t make sense to explore all these other things,” Miyahara said.
Del Mar Planning and Community Development Director Karen Brindley told the 22nd DAA board that the city was encouraged by the interest in exploring the RV park site, even if it falls outside the city’s boundaries.
“I do want to say that the identification of the preferred site for affordable housing is an important next step in the process, and we appreciate and are encouraged by the staff recommendation being located outside the city of Del Mar,” Brindley said. “We stand ready to do the collaborative work that is needed with the district to help bring much-needed affordable housing to the North County coastal region.”
Findings, impacts
Harris & Associates analyzed site feasibility in terms of water and sewer capacity, impacts to traffic and natural resources, and potential tax credit financing.
The studies determined that a housing project could be supported at all five sites (excluding the intersection site) by the existing water and sewage facilities, although further condition assessments were recommended.
Studies also determined that projects at all five sites would not have significant negative impacts on traffic or environmental resources, and that there are ways to mitigate impacts from flooding events.
All five sites were also found to be potentially eligible for tax credit financing and not to have associated conflicts with Fairgrounds operations or events.
However, board members said they wanted to see a more in-depth study of how Fairgrounds operations could be impacted by building on each of the proposed sites. Board member Mark Arabo said the district should have prioritized an operational impact study earlier in the process, and questioned how the scope of the studies was decided.
“How are we so far down this road without doing an operational study?” Arabo asked.
Fairgrounds Environmental Planner Dustin Fuller said the scope of the studies funded by the HAP grant examined the wider feasibility of affordable housing at the different sites, and not specifically how Fairgrounds operations would be impacted.
The study states that 22nd DAA staff identified all the sites, with the understanding that a buffer from Fairgrounds operations could be designed for any of these locations, and that any selected site would need to be designed to minimize conflicts with existing Fairgrounds operations and events.
Bartling said building affordable housing at either the east stable gate or south of the stable gate would have significant impacts on fair and horse racing operations. The stable gate provides important ingress and egress for trailers and horses during the racing season and is also used during the San Diego County Fair for youth livestock operations.
She said that building adjacent to the fire department site would also negatively impact ingress and egress and would require the reconstruction of some of the Fairground offices.
“Those locations, you know, whether it’s the east main stable gate or it’s the south stable gate are very impactful to our operations. There are also significant locations for emergency evacuations as we’ve had in the past, you know, where we’ve had hundreds, thousands of horses that have been evacuated into that stable area,” said Bartling. 
Board members also said they would not want to build on the dirt parking lot site, as it provides much-needed public parking for the fair that cannot be relocated elsewhere.
Some board members said the district needs to consider whether affordable housing is something they can truly envision on any of the sites before proceeding.
“You know, things look good on paper, but when you apply it in real life, that’s a whole different story. And I want to make sure that it doesn’t just look good on paper,” said board member Frederick Schenk.
Other board members blame former CEO Carlene Moore, who was terminated by the board in April, for how the process has played out. Moore oversaw the affordable housing agreement and represented the Fairgrounds in negotiations with Del Mar, providing updates to the board throughout the process.
“I have to be honest, we gave a lot of power to the CEO to extend the terms. We should have voiced it then that we were not happy with it, and the answer would have been ‘no, we’re not going to give her that ability,’” Board member Lisa Barkett said.
Following the June 9 meeting, Del Mar Mayor Tracy Martinez sent a letter to the board claiming that they were missing several important facts in their discussion. Martinez also said the results of the studies should have been shared by representatives of Harris and Associates rather than by district staff, and noted that the scope of the studies was approved by the district.
“Approval of the ENRA dates back to 2024, and a substantial amount of work and public resources ($1.7M) have been expended since that time. However, it is clear that much of what has occurred has not been communicated to the Board by District staff and/or predates several new members of the Board and the newly appointed District CEO,” the letter states.
The city also asked for a joint meeting between the leaders and staff of the 22nd DAA and the city to ensure all parties are on the same page.
Fairgrounds spokesperson Tristan Hallman said no meeting has been scheduled at this time, but that the 22nd DAA board will discuss affordable housing again at its Aug. 18 meeting.
“The 22nd DAA values its relationship with the City of Del Mar and looks forward to the discussion at the next board meeting,” Hallman said.
There have been several bumps in the road since the Fairgrounds and the city adopted the housing negotiation agreement, with the board pausing it in early 2025 and repeated discussions since then about whether to pause it again.
If Del Mar is unable to meet HCD’s deadline, the city will have to rezone properties on the North Bluff for potential affordable housing development. The city has agreed to begin rezoning these sites, as the likelihood of a timely deal with the Fairgrounds grows more questionable.
