Rail proposal shocks Solana Beach residents

DEL MAR — As SANDAG continues its scoping period for advancing three rail realignment options to the environmental study phase, Solana Beach leaders are pushing back against one of the options they say would have devastating impacts on the city.

In a June 4 notice of preparation (NOP), SANDAG narrowed down upwards of 40 route options brought forward in the past year to just three that they say have the best chance of moving forward — one beginning in Solana Beach and running along Interstate 5, and two options starting in Del Mar, with one following Crest Canyon and another along Camino Del Mar.

All three alignment options include a proposed north and south portal, underground tunneling and double tracking. The project aims to relocate a crucial 1.7-mile section of the Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo-San Diego (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor off the unstable Del Mar bluffs and further inland while improving rail reliability and frequency.

The agency is now collecting public input on these options and the proposed study elements for environmental impacts until July 19 and invited hundreds of residents to attend a scoping meeting on Tuesday night at the Marriott Del Mar.

SANDAG Environmental Compliance Manager Keith Greer emphasized Tuesday that the three current alternatives are not set in stone and are subject to change based on community feedback.

“We can modify these to avoid impacts, we can add new alternatives that come out of scoping, and we can delete alternatives,” Greer said.

In addition to Del Mar residents and frequent train users, many of the meeting’s attendees were residents of Solana Beach. The day before, the city’s mayor, Lesa Heebner, raised concerns about one of the options, known as Alternative A, in a Monday email.

Alternative A is the longest and most expensive realignment, running nearly seven miles with a 5-mile tunnel and costing around double that of the other two alternatives at $4 billion.

Alternative A proposes heading south, starting in the existing rail trench in Solana Beach, with a cut-and-cover tunnel descending at a 2% grade to the Fairgrounds. There, it would connect with a bored tunnel running beneath the San Dieguito Lagoon and head east to run along the I-5 before exiting at a knoll past Los Penasquitos Lagoon.

In her email, Heebner told residents the alignment would take seven to 12 years to build and that it would likely require the taking of properties east of the railroad trench, reconstruction of the Via de la Valle vehicle bridge, and the closure of the Fairgrounds for several years.

She also expressed frustration at SANDAG’s lack of engagement with the city regarding advancing this alternative.

“SANDAG did not engage with Solana Beach on Alternative A, yet they held workshops and office hours in Del Mar for many months. If not for the loud and persistent voices of some Del Mar residents, Alternative A would never have been included. Solana Beach residents and other stakeholders were not informed or consulted,” Heebner said.

SANDAG staff said Alternative A resulted from feedback from residents over the past year and involves using public land to limit impacts on private property.

“This alternative minimizes private impacts by pushing onto public properties, whether its land next to the I-5 or San Dieguito Lagoon or the 22nd Ag District,” Greer said. “This is the longest, probably the most complex alternative we have.”

The 5.3-mile Crest Canyon alignment, or Alternative B, would begin at a portal near the intersection of Jimmy Durante Boulevard and Camino Del Mar and continue southeast to exit at the knoll near I-5 to connect to the existing track.

The Camino Del Mar option, or Alternative C, spans 4.9 miles and, similar to Alternative B, enters a portal near the intersection of Jimmy Durante Boulevard and Camino Del Mar. The route exits from a southern portal at Torrey Pines Road and Carmel Valley Road onto a bridge over the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon before connecting to the existing track.

Carlene Moore, CEO of the 22nd District Agricultural Association, said the Fairgrounds board will also submit a formal response to the NOP. Despite concerns about Alternative A, she said she was glad to see SANDAG highlight the inclusion of a special events platform at the Fairgrounds as one of the project’s objectives.

“We’re all aware of the draft report, and we will be making comments on it,” Moore said. “Alternative A is definitely bigger. Seven to 10 years of construction … could have a huge impact.”

Fairgrounds leaders have also previously stated that further study of rail realignment through their property could jeopardize the possibility of placing affordable housing at the Fairgrounds to help Del Mar meet their regional housing quota.

The city of Solana Beach, the city of Del Mar, and other agencies will also submit an official response to the NOP. Heebner said Solana Beach’s main position would be that Alternative A should not be advanced for further study.

“We didn’t think this would ever be a reality that we would spend taxpayer money on studying,” Heebner said. “It just doesn’t pass the common sense test. It seems really outrageous to me.”

The Del Mar City Council discussed a draft response to the NOP at Monday’s meeting and plans to continue talks at its July 8 meeting. Several council members and residents have expressed concerns about having a tunnel portal near Del Mar residences and the potential for eminent domain.

Del Mar leaders also discussed Heebner’s communication from Monday and said they are committed to communicating with Solana Beach leaders to keep both cities informed and prevent the spread of inaccurate information.

“In my view, Its gonna be really important to engage in a constructive way with Solana Beach, and I’d like to see us do that sooner rather than later,” Councilmember Terry Gaasterland said.

City Manager Ashley Jones emphasized that the reason so many workshops regarding the rail were held in Del Mar, as mentioned in Heebner’s email, is because the city lobbied for them.

“This is really an issue, I think, between Solana Beach and SANDAG. Part of the reason that Del Mar has been as informed as we have been is because we’ve been lobbying SANDAG to come to our meetings and do presentations, and we’ve offered to host public workshops here. Any of the stakeholders could be doing that,” Jones said.

Going forward, Del Mar leaders said they are focused on providing a thorough response to the NOP that raises all of the necessary questions and concerns. The city has also requested that SANDAG grant a 60-day extension for them to submit their response.

Councilmember Dwight Worden also suggested that the city push to be recognized as a “responsible agency” for the project due to the severe local impacts, giving them more opportunities for dialogue with SANDAG.

SANDAG aims to complete a draft CEQA environmental document next year and finalize it by 2026. Another federal environmental study must be completed before the project can progress and the SANDAG board can approve a specific alignment.

Written comments about the NOP can be sent to SANDAG at 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101, with attention to Tim Pesce; via email with the subject line “SDLRR Project NOP” to [email protected]; or online at SANDAG.org/railrealignment.