DEL MAR – Adiós, Don Diego.
The landmark clock tower with its dashing figure of the county fair's longtime ambassador could face the wrecking ball at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune
The Head to Toe Women's Expo took place last weekend at an exhibition hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Renovations call for exisiting halls to be replaced.
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Plans to demolish the 46-foot-tall icon, which for decades has served as a rendezvous point for lost fair-goers, is nearly a footnote in a new master plan for the 344-acre state-owned venue.
The plan has rekindled sparks between the Del Mar Fairgrounds intent on boosting commercial use of the property, and residents wanting to preserve the cozy ambiance of their small, upscale city.
In the mix are environmentalists who say the plans clash with a massive $86 million restoration project under way in the San Dieguito River and wetlands bordering the fairgrounds.
At a public hearing yesterday, fairgrounds officials were peppered with criticism over the master plan that outlines $250 million to $300 million in new facilities that would be built over the next 15 years.
Among the more controversial elements: A four-story 330-room condominium hotel, a 75-foot-tall health club and a 49-foot high electronic sign along Interstate 5.
The fairgrounds renovations would be the largest since the six-story grandstand and clubhouse opened in 1993 at a cost of $65 million.
The projects are aimed at promoting “the economic self-sustainability of the fairgrounds” established in 1926, according to the 22nd District Agricultural Association, the state agency that oversees the property.
The district is managed by a nine-member board that works with an annual budget of nearly $60 million.
The fairgrounds renovations would be the largest since the six-story grandstand and clubhouse opened in 1993 at a cost of $65 million.
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Details
2008 Del Mar Fairgrounds Master Plan
What: Proposes renovations at the 340-acre fairgrounds over 15 years. An environmental impact report must be completed first. The public may comment on what the environmental study should consider.
Comments: The deadline for written comments on the scope of the environmental report is April 25. Send to Rebecca Bartling at the fairgrounds.
Address: Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar 92106-2216
Web: sdfair.com
Highlights
The 2008 Del Mar Fairgrounds master plan proposes renovations over 15 years.
NEAR-TERM PROJECTS:
Exhibit halls: Replace existing halls with a 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall, underground parking and three rooftop sports fields.
Hotel: Build a 330-room condominium hotel/exhibit hall complex with a ballroom, underground parking and 58 RV spaces with hookups.
Offices: Build a 58,065-square-foot, three-story administration building and ticket office.
Health club: Build a 60,000-square-foot health club and sports training facility.
Freeway sign: Install a 49-foot-tall electronic sign along Interstate 5.
Fire station: Demolish the Del Mar fire station at the edge of the fairgrounds and replace it off-site.
Parking lot: Pave the dirt lot east of Jimmy Durante Boulevard. Provide sewer hookups for 62 RV spaces that now have water and power.
Don Diego: Demolish the Don Diego clock tower.
Solana Gate: Realign and widen the entry road for three lanes and a sidewalk. Add an equestrian tunnel.
LONG-TERM PROJECTS:
Train: Build a seasonal train platform or other option.
Garage: Build a multilevel 1,300-space parking garage.
Racetrack: Replace stables and living quarters, build a new Horseman's Village with a cafe and viewing platform, build a truck tunnel under the racetrack.
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The projects are aimed at promoting “the economic self-sustainability of the fairgrounds” established in 1926, according to the 22nd District Agricultural Association, the state agency that oversees the property.
The district is managed by a nine-member board that works with an annual budget of nearly $60 million.
The two main attractions each year are the county fair in June and July and the horse races from July to September. However, the fairgrounds hosts more than 300 events annually from weddings to concerts.
The racetrack and off-track betting operation generates $10 million to $12 million in revenue for the state's general fund, said Timothy Fennell, the fairgrounds' general manager.
About 40 people attended the hearing yesterday. Most of the those who spoke said the plan is incompatible with the 440-acre wetlands project that adds trails, wildlife viewing areas and newly restored habitat.
John Graybill, a Del Mar resident and member of a lagoon watchdog group, said the plan would result in “a commercialized Las Vegas-ish project” that would detract from the natural setting.
“I wish you would adopt a good-neighbor policy,” Graybill said.
Jan McMillan of the San Dieguito Lagoon Preservation Committee said the plan contains some of the same controversial projects her group opposed in the last master plan, drafted in 1985.
“You're doing a fabulous job of promoting the fairgrounds,” McMillan said. “I ask you to promote the preservation of peace and quiet in the (river) valley.”
Jacqueline Winterer, president of the Friends of the San Dieguito River Valley, said the large electronic sign would detract from the scenic beauty of the lagoon and create a safety hazard for motorists.
“Your excessive development plans are incompatible with the protection of our coastal environment,” she said.
The sign would be smaller than a controversial, 70-foot-tall electronic billboard installed along Interstate 8 next to San Diego State University a decade ago.
Four members of the fairgrounds board of directors and their executive staff were forced by protocol not to respond to yesterday's critics.
The hearing was intended to gather comment on the scope of issues that need to be addressed in an environmental impact report that is being prepared.
Barry Nussbaum, board chairman, said his agency wants to have the document ready for adoption in September or August.
Once the document is endorsed, specific projects can be finalized and presented for review by the state Coastal Commission.
Terry Rodgers: (619) 542-4566; terry.rodgers@uniontrib.com
