Seaside Ridge developer presses Del Mar to move on project

Stalled for years, the 259-unit project near Dog Beach includes 85 affordable homes. Now, a legal battle could force a City Council vote

Renderings show the proposed Seaside Ridge development north of Dog Beach in Del Mar. The developer is pressing the city to put the item on an agenda amid legal battle over the stalled project. Courtesy image

DEL MAR — A controversial housing project north of Dog Beach is coming to a head as the developer is demanding the city declare the development “complete” or put the matter on an upcoming agenda for a City Council vote.

The proposed Seaside Ridge would be on a vacant 7-acre site at 929 Border Ave. and includes 259 units, 85 of which would be affordable with 42 units for lower-income residents and 43 for moderate incomes, according to Seaside spokesman Darren Pudgil.

The fight over the project application dates back at least three years as the Seaside Ridge application was found incomplete because of the applicant’s “steadfast refusal” to submit documents allowing the city to amend its Local Coastal Program (LCP), Del Mar City Manager Ashley Jones said.

“Unfortunately, our proposal to bring much-needed affordable housing to Del Mar has been needlessly held up by the city’s bureaucracy,” Pudgil explained. “It’s time for the city, and specifically the city council, to step up and make a formal decision on our project one way or the other.”

Since the project application was submitted in October 2022, he said city staff has repeatedly and “improperly” deemed the project “incomplete,” and made unreasonable and unlawful demands of the applicant. The incomplete status are due to the absence of materials required for rezoning, LCP amendment, a coastal development permit and conditional use permit, according to The Coast News.

Carol Lazier, owner of the project, filed a lawsuit last year against the city, alleging Del Mar violated multiple state housing laws. Among them is Builder’s Remedy, which requires California cities to approve affordable housing projects if they were submitted at a time when the city did not have a certified Housing Element, or bear the burden of proving very limited factual circumstances in order to deny, Pudgil said. Del Mar did not have an approved Housing Element when the Seaside Ridge application was filed, he added.