Residential Customer Del Mar CA, 92014 ECRWSS
Volume XV, Issue 32
www.delmartimes.net
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Aug. 4, 2011 Published Weekly
Del Mar to prepare revitalization plan BY JOE TASH Contributor City officials, residents and business owners will be focusing on a six-block stretch of downtown Del Mar in the coming year, as the city takes the first step toward creating what is ultimately envisioned as a
■ Better By The Pound reforms, finds homes for ‘problem dogs.’ Page 10
■ See our Special Racing Section on Pages 12-13
■ Doctor devotes himself to helping glaucoma patients. Page B1
vibrant, pedestrian-friendly central commercial district. The Del Mar City Council at its meeting on Monday, July 25, unanimously voted to direct city staff to prepare a specific plan for the downtown district, which, if all goes according to plan, would be complet-
ed in time for voters to consider on the November 2012 ballot. The issue of downtown revitalization has been debated, studied and discussed in Del Mar for decades, since a community plan completed in 1976 first identified the need. But for a number of reasons,
National Dance Day in Del Mar
the effort never got off the ground. This time, the city has budgeted $300,000 over the next two years to completing the specific plan, a blueprint for transforming the downtown corridor along both sides of
SEE REVITALIZATION, PAGE 6
Input gathered on ideal city manager DM begins search for a replacement for Karen Brust
A National Dance Day event was held at Del Mar’s Powerhouse Park on July 30. National Dance Day is a grassroots initiative that encourages everyone, young and old, to move and come together through the creative expression of dance. Instructors from Sorrento Valley’s S.K.A. Dance Studio taught a hip hop routine in the park choreographed by “So You Think You Can Dance” choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo. Photo/Jon Clark
Coast and Canyons map draws praise BY KAREN BILLING Staff Writer Another San Diego City redistricting hearing was held Aug. 1 at the UTC Forum Hall where attendees voiced appreciation over the fact that the ideas of the favored Coast and Canyons map have been absorbed into the preliminary San Diego City redistricting map. La Jolla resident Joe LaCava, the architect of Coast and Canyons, thanked the commission for finding
the plan viable. “You listened to the arguments and our proposal and vetted it against what the city charter required and saw that is the right thing to do for this corner of the city, not just because the residents wanted it,” LaCava said. “Coast and Canyons keeps La Jolla whole and makes it whole for the first time in 10 years.” In addition to bringing
SEE MAP, PAGE 15
BY JOE TASH Contributor Del Mar’s next city manager should have strong leadership skills, a good understanding of such issues as finance, redevelopment, human resources and zoning, and be willing to work closely with members of the City Council and the community, said those who attended
a special council workshop on Monday, Aug. 1. The meeting was held as the city officially launched its effort to find a successor to Karen Brust, who left her position earlier this year to become city manager for San Juan Capistrano. While the city has not released a salary range for the position, Brust was earning $180,000 per year when she left. In June, the city hired Mark Ochenduszko, the re-
SEE MANAGER, PAGE 15
Board assesses retirement community plan BY KAREN BILLING Staff Writer The Carmel Valley Community Planning Board is submitting its initial comment letter to the city, detailing its issues with the proposed Rancho Del
Mar Continuing Care Retirement Community. Rancho Del Mar is planned for the dirt lot adjacent to the San Diego Polo Fields on El Camino Real. The board’s initial concerns for the senior community include
compatibility with the surrounding area, density, traffic, drainage and preservation of view corridors. The plan for the 23.88-gross-acre site in-
SEE RETIREMENT, PAGE 15
Kindergarten space tight at Ocean Air BY KAREN BILLING Staff Writer The Olesky family moved to Carmel Valley to be a part of the Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) and picked their
home for its proximity to Ocean Air School, just 500 feet away. They loved the idea of walking their child to school. Now they are faced with the “nightmare” scenario that there is no
room for their kindergartner at their neighborhood school. At the July 27 DMUSD board meeting, parent Har-
SEE SPACE, PAGE 6