Del Mar Eyes North Bluff Housing While Seaside Ridge Fight Continues
Voice of San Diego reported Aug 10 that Del Mar is studying whether the eroding North Bluff can take more housing even as it fights Carol Lazier's 259-unit Seaside Ridge project. The city needs 113 lower-income units by 2029 and has little vacant land left. If you are buying in Del Mar, this is the land-use fight that will set how much new supply, if any, lands on the north end of town.
Two tracks at once
The 19.3-acre bluff is zoned one unit per acre today. Council has started a rezoning path toward a new RM-North zone at about 20 units per acre on the Lazier, Whalen, and possibly 101 Border sites, while it also tries to lock in Fairgrounds housing before a November deadline. Seaside Ridge says its buildings would sit 60 to 97 feet from the cliff edge and is suing under the builder's remedy. The city's own sea-level maps show the bluff eating into existing development by 2030 in some scenarios.
Why it matters
- Coastal Del Mar inventory is tiny. A 20-unit-per-acre overlay, or a court win for 259 units, would be the biggest housing change on the North Bluff in a generation.
- Bluff setbacks and Coastal Commission review will decide what is actually buildable, not the unit count on a slide deck.
- Buyers on or near the bluff should read geology, insurance, and setback language as carefully as the list price.
Sources: Voice of San Diego on North Bluff housing; The Coast News on Seaside Ridge; City of Del Mar 6th Cycle Housing Element.
More Del Mar mortgage help and the Del Mar news board.
Buying or refinancing in Del Mar?
Get clear numbers from a local San Diego mortgage team.
Get Pre-ApprovedLeft Coast Leaders, Inc. · NMLS #2394495 · DRE #02191517 · Equal Housing Lender. Local news briefings are for general information and are not formal appraisals or loan commitments.