DEL MAR, Calif. — The Del Mar Fairgrounds hosts hundreds of events each year, including the San Diego County Fair, concerts and horse racing.
City leaders are now looking into doing more, by adding 61 affordable rental units to the 370-acre property by 2030.
While it's unknown exactly what's needed to qualify, those who support the plan say it would cater to people making less than the median income for the area, which could include seniors, teachers and first responders.
“I fully support this measure because it aligns with the push we've made at the county to leverage public land to build more affordable housing and combat rising home and rental cost,” said District 3 Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer.
On Tuesday, she asked her colleagues to pass a resolution supporting that endeavor, saying the fairgrounds is ideal thanks to its proximity to services, schools and public transit.
"It's within a half mile from the North County District 308 and 101 bus lines and less than two miles from the Solana Beach train station," said Lawson-Remer.
The County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 in favor of Lawson-Remer's resolution.
Del Mar is under pressure from the state to provide affordable housing.
Through its adopted housing element, the city is required to make 113 units available by the end of the decade.
“The first step is to determine where it's feasible to put the housing once that is determined, we've got to determine what the lease will be, what the funding will be, what the design will be,” said Del Mar Mayor Dave Druker.
Druker says that's exactly what the city and District Agricultural Association, the agency which manages the state-owned fairgrounds, will spend the next 24 months doing.
Both acknowledge there are a lot of hoops to jump through, but it could be well worth it in the long run.
"Providing space for 61 affordable units is no small task for an event center like this one, particularly one that doesn't impede our master planning efforts, so we don't yet know if housing will really work here but what we do know is we won't get anything done if we don't start somewhere and if we don't commit to exploring our options, said Michael Gelfand, with the District Agricultural Association.
WATCH RELATED: Negotiations set to begin for building affordable housing in Del Mar (March 11, 2024)