On Aug. 18, 2026, the board that runs the Del Mar Fairgrounds voted 5–3 to end its agreement with the City of Del Mar to negotiate an affordable housing project. Del Mar had counted on that project for 61 of the 113 affordable units it must plan for by 2029, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The site the fair board had picked, Surf and Turf RV Park, isn't even in Del Mar. It sits on Fairgrounds property inside San Diego city limits.
So a vote about land outside the city has sent Del Mar's housing obligation back to its own North Bluff, near Border Avenue and Camino Del Mar. For a buyer comparing coastal markets, that matters more than this month's median. Del Mar's largest likely addition of homes is now set by a state housing department, the Coastal Commission's process and a Superior Court calendar. Prices, demand and builder appetite have little to do with when it arrives.
The chain of events, in order
Each step below follows from the one before it.
- May 19, 2026. The City Council denied the Seaside Ridge application. That's a proposal for 259 units, 85 of them affordable, at 959 Border Avenue. The Coast News reported that the city disputes whether the application is complete and whether it qualifies for the builder's remedy, and the developer said it would keep litigating. At the same meeting, the council told staff to start planning a proposed RM-North zone at 20 units per acre on 6.2 acres of North Bluff. The city framed that work as preparation for the next housing element cycle, which starts in 2030.
- Aug. 18, 2026. The fair board ended the negotiating agreement. It had been scheduled to run through April 2027, with a November 2026 deadline for the city to secure a lease.
- Late August 2026. Seaside Ridge's attorney, Brooke Miller, sent the city a letter. Voice of San Diego reported that it pointed to the city's state-approved housing element, which commits Del Mar to rezoning vacant land at North Bluff and South Stratford if the Fairgrounds lease falls through.
- Sept. 15, 2026. Del Mar Mayor Tracy Martinez, Deputy Mayor John Spelich and a planning commissioner asked the fair board to reconsider. The item wasn't on the agenda, so the board couldn't discuss it or act on it, according to The Coast News.
- Sept. 22, 2026. On consent, the City Council approved a contract with Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc., for up to $169,295. The work covers CEQA documents and amendments to the Community Plan, Zoning Code and Local Coastal Program, plus a rezone of 11.7 acres on North Bluff to allow multiple-unit housing, the council minutes show.
The acreage grew from 6.2 acres in May to 11.7 acres in September. Over those four months, the city went from preparing for 2030 to contracting for a rezone now.
The two backup sites, by the city's own numbers
The housing element's candidate-sites table lists both backup sites.
| Backup site | Acreage in the housing element | Lower-income units | Total unit capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Bluff | 12.39 acres | 47–61 | 200–250 |
| South Stratford | 4.94 acres | 19–25 | 80–99 |
The table lists North Bluff at 12.39 acres, and the September contract covers 11.7. The city's documents don't explain the gap. The Del Mar Sandpiper reports that the rezone must allow 20 to 25 units per net acre, with density bonuses also available. It also reports that Seaside Ridge's attorney wrote that a project including affordable units could fit up to 271 units on the Lazier property alone.
Why 200 units is a big number in Del Mar
Del Mar's housing element counts 2,695 housing units in 2018, up from 2,596 in 2010. That's 99 homes added in eight years. The 2018 count is the latest the city publishes in that document, so treat it as a baseline rather than today's total. Even so, North Bluff's planned capacity of 200 to 250 units would equal roughly 7 to 9 percent of that housing stock. That's two to two and a half times what the whole city added between 2010 and 2018.
The resale market is small too. The Greater San Diego Association of Realtors' September 2026 report for 92014 counts 92 detached closings and 33 attached closings from January through September 2026. That's 125 sales in nine months across the whole ZIP code.
With volume that thin, the monthly medians swing hard. In September 2026, five detached homes closed at a median of $4,450,000. That's up 66.4 percent from September 2025, which also had five sales. Five attached homes closed at a median of $1,099,900, down 53.1 percent from a year earlier. The report itself warns that small samples can make percent changes look extreme. Neither swing means detached values jumped by two-thirds or condo values halved. Each just reflects which five homes happened to close that month.
Supply was also tight at the end of September 2026. There were 32 detached homes and 9 attached homes for sale, or 3.5 and 2.4 months of supply. In a market where a single month's median can rest on five sales, a rezoning that could add hundreds of homes is the biggest supply variable a buyer can actually track. When those homes arrive, and in what form, is still undecided.
What's already under construction, and why it's a different case
Watermark Del Mar shows how slowly an approved project moves through this system. Grading started Aug. 17, 2026, at San Dieguito Drive and Jimmy Durante Boulevard. The project has 50 units in six three-story buildings over a ground-level garage, with 10 set aside for low-income households, and construction is expected to take 21 months. ReyLenn Construction Co. is the contractor. The city's project FAQ describes Watermark as rental housing with no condominium subdivision request. So it won't add homes to the 92014 for-sale count.
Watermark was approved as a by-right project in 2022, The Coast News reported, and grading began four years later. North Bluff hasn't been rezoned yet.
A second, smaller path is still in draft. In June 2026, the council discussed applying an affordable-housing overlay to seven commercial sites. Five are in the North Commercial zone along Jimmy Durante Boulevard, and two are at 807 and 853 Camino Del Mar. The Coast News reported that formal hearings were expected by the end of the year. The density-bonus scenarios presented then, such as up to 64 units at 2010 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, were possible outcomes, not approvals.
Dates that will set the timeline
The schedule now runs on legal and regulatory processes, and several of them overlap.
- Rezone schedule. In a Sept. 16 letter, Assistant City Attorney Ralph Hicks wrote that the city has "proactively begun" rezoning 11.7 acres on North Bluff, with timing "driven by compliance with both CEQA and the California Coastal Act," the Sandpiper reported. Planning work and public hearings come first, then Coastal Commission review.
- HCD's position. In January 2026, the state housing department reminded the city in a letter that rezoning North Bluff and South Stratford "is required should" the Fairgrounds agreement be terminated. The Sandpiper's October issue says it's still unclear how HCD will respond to the ended deal or to the city's method and timetable.
- Feb. 26, 2027. That's the trial date in the Seaside Ridge lawsuit, which argues the project can proceed under the builder's remedy. The Sandpiper notes that a July 30, 2026 appellate decision in a separate case, New Commune, appears to favor the city's position.
- Nov. 10, 2026. The fair board may consider a separate Fairgrounds proposal called Del Mar Dreams. It includes a San Diego Wave stadium, a hotel, a convention center, parking, restaurants and retail, the Union-Tribune reported.
A few days before this post went live, the council's Oct. 6 agenda and its tentative Oct. 20 agenda didn't include a North Bluff or South Stratford rezoning item.
Even with those legal questions open, the Sandpiper's October issue reached this conclusion.
"North Bluff is headed for a future with hundreds of housing units."
How many units get built, under whose approval and on what schedule will depend on the Coastal Commission, the Superior Court and HCD.
What this means for a buyer comparing Del Mar
If you're weighing a home in the northern part of town, North Bluff's future belongs in your planning, alongside the view and the walk to the beach. Ask which parcels are covered by the rezone, check the city's agendas for the public hearings, and follow the Seaside Ridge case into February. All of the documents above are public, and the city posts council agendas and minutes before and after each meeting. This post is general information about public proceedings. It isn't legal, tax or financial advice, so confirm how any rezoning or housing law affects a specific property with a qualified attorney or land-use professional.
When you're weighing a Del Mar purchase or sale against what's coming to North Bluff, Fine Properties San Diego tracks the hearings, the court calendar and the monthly 92014 numbers for you, and puts them in the context of your property and timeline. Request a Complimentary Market Valuation, and we'll show you how North Bluff's timeline fits into your plans.
