Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Where the Surf Meets the Turf Meets the Train in Old Del Mar

"We need to get as many people as possible to attend meetings and write letters. We need to drive the City nuts to get them on our side. Wherever they want to put it is fine, as long as they don't put it here," said a resident of Del Mar's Beach Colony during a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, September 21.

The 30 Del Mar denizens attended the meeting to discuss North County Transit District's proposal to construct a temporary train stop for the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The "neighborhood stop," as some residents called it, would mark the finish line for horserace fans looking to spend a day at the track.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The platform would be placed on a small stretch of double-tracks just south of the San Dieguito River — 20 feet from the nearest dwelling and more than a half-mile from the entrance of the racetrack. Using the additional set of tracks allows for trains to stop without obstructing the commuter railway, and if constructed, trains would stop at the location seven weeks out of the year with as many as 900 passengers per train.

Right out of the gate, neighbors expressed frustration at the lack of public notification and the added noise, traffic, and emissions that the train stop would bring to their beachside community.

"[Executive Director for North County Transit District] Matt Tucker even said during his presentation to the Del Mar City Council that one of the major problems is that people won't be able to find their way back to the stop, especially at night," said Del Mar resident Nancy Fisher during the meeting.

"I feel slighted and grossly discounted by their actions," wrote one resident in an email following the meeting. "I am a strong supporter of public transit and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I am also a strong supporter of due process and public input. What happened here? Residents of Del Mar would like to know."

The odds, however, don't look good for the neighbors. City councilmember Carl Hilliard, who sits on the board for North County Transit District, has gone on record touting the benefits of the temporary train stop, including reduced traffic and increased parking at the fairgrounds. Hilliard was unable to attend the neighborhood meeting.

Seeking information on the lack of notification to residents and whether a "single track" stop north of the river was explored, this correspondent left a message for Del Mar City Manager Karen Brust and emailed North County Transit District Spokesperson Alex Wiggins. Both failed to respond.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Extended family dynamics

Many of our neighbors live in the house they grew up in
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”

"We need to get as many people as possible to attend meetings and write letters. We need to drive the City nuts to get them on our side. Wherever they want to put it is fine, as long as they don't put it here," said a resident of Del Mar's Beach Colony during a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, September 21.

The 30 Del Mar denizens attended the meeting to discuss North County Transit District's proposal to construct a temporary train stop for the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The "neighborhood stop," as some residents called it, would mark the finish line for horserace fans looking to spend a day at the track.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The platform would be placed on a small stretch of double-tracks just south of the San Dieguito River — 20 feet from the nearest dwelling and more than a half-mile from the entrance of the racetrack. Using the additional set of tracks allows for trains to stop without obstructing the commuter railway, and if constructed, trains would stop at the location seven weeks out of the year with as many as 900 passengers per train.

Right out of the gate, neighbors expressed frustration at the lack of public notification and the added noise, traffic, and emissions that the train stop would bring to their beachside community.

"[Executive Director for North County Transit District] Matt Tucker even said during his presentation to the Del Mar City Council that one of the major problems is that people won't be able to find their way back to the stop, especially at night," said Del Mar resident Nancy Fisher during the meeting.

"I feel slighted and grossly discounted by their actions," wrote one resident in an email following the meeting. "I am a strong supporter of public transit and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I am also a strong supporter of due process and public input. What happened here? Residents of Del Mar would like to know."

The odds, however, don't look good for the neighbors. City councilmember Carl Hilliard, who sits on the board for North County Transit District, has gone on record touting the benefits of the temporary train stop, including reduced traffic and increased parking at the fairgrounds. Hilliard was unable to attend the neighborhood meeting.

Seeking information on the lack of notification to residents and whether a "single track" stop north of the river was explored, this correspondent left a message for Del Mar City Manager Karen Brust and emailed North County Transit District Spokesperson Alex Wiggins. Both failed to respond.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
Next Article

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About doTERRA

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader