The 22nd District Agricultural Association (DAA) Board of Directors, which operates the Del Mar Fairgrounds, held a meeting on Monday to discuss their concerns with the San Diego Association of Governments' (SANDAG) rail relocation plans.
SANDAG calls the plan Alternative A. It starts at the Solana Beach train station, and runs through the Del Mar Fairgrounds, before running next to the I-5 freeway.
It's the route many Del Mar residents support. But it’s opposed by Solana Beach and now by the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Carlene Moore, the CEO of the Fairgrounds, fears construction of Alternative A could halt the county fair and horse races for seven to 10 years.
"We have approximately a $680 million economic impact on this region, and we comprise about 40% of the city of Del Mar sales tax revenue base," she said. "The fair and other events would be drastically impacted, if even operable, just through construction alone."
Why it matters
The fairgrounds also told SANDAG they’d have to pause discussions of affordable housing on site, until Alternative A is removed from consideration.
In April, the city of Del Mar and the 22nd DAA agreed to explore affordable housing units on the fairgrounds.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution supporting the move.
Looking ahead
Moore wanted more answers from SANDAG on the larger impact to the fairgrounds if the project moves forward.
"What happens to the beloved San Diego County Fair... to horse racing, to music festivals, to this community gathering place, and the mega evacuation center that we serve for the whole of this region?" she asked.
The city of Del Mar is discussing their response on Tuesday during a special meeting at 2 p.m.
SANDAG is taking public comments through Friday.
