Solana Beach reviewing “Massive” Fairgrounds Project EIR
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- UPDATE: The public review period for the Fairgrounds draft EIR has been extended to February 8, 2010.
11/3/09 - A four-story 330-room hotel and convention center, new restaurants, a new sports facility, new parking garages, much larger exhibit halls, three rooftop soccer fields, new offices, a 48-foot electronic billboard, a relocated fire station, a new train platform and more. It's all a part of the Del Mar Fairgrounds Master Plan, and it could mean big changes for local residents.
On October 9, the Fairgrounds issued its draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), with a 90-day period for public comment that ends January 8, 2010. The document is 4,555 pages long, with a 120-page executive summary.
The City of Solana Beach has launched an intensive effort to analyze the EIR and respond to the 22nd Agricultural District regarding the proposal. On October 28, the City Council allocated $75,000 for outside experts to review the document, and urged Solana Beach residents to submit their comments before the January deadline. (See blog commentary for more.)
Cumulative Impacts to Solana Beach
According to Solana Beach City Manager David Ott, the Fairgrounds already generates significant noise, light, traffic and public safety impacts, and the proposed expansion will affect Solana Beach more than any other area.
"We're virtually building a new city right next door to us, said Councilman Joe Kellejian. "We really have to watch this thing very closely."
Solana Beach resident Gary Martin urged the Council to allocate adequate resources to the EIR review, noting "This is going to have long-term, massive, permanent impacts on our city. We need to do whatever it takes to hire outside consultants and get a comprehensive analysis done within this time frame."
Councilman Dave Roberts agreed. "'Massive'" doesn't even begin to describe this project and the impact it's going to have on us."
"The impacts to Del Mar, which owns the track, are nowhere near the impacts to our community, because of where the fairgrounds sits," said Kellejian.
"We get the light pollution; they really don't. We get the noise problems. They get a little bit, but we get all of it," he added. "Traffic. We get all the traffic. Let's face it, Del Mar gets a little bit of traffic, but we get all the traffic. I could go on and on.
"And guess what? We get a little money from the Fairgrounds, but all the big dollars go to the City of Del Mar."
The Solana Beach City Council will schedule a public hearing (possibly a special meeting) for local residents in the next 60 days. A citywide mail notification is also planned.
"The potential for impacts to Solana Beach is so great," said Councilman Tom Campbell, "I think we have a responsibility to our community to inform them of this."
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