DEL MAR, Calif. — Del Mar City Council members voted against signing a licensing agreement that would approve placing fencing on the upper bluff. The North County Transit District wants to put a fence there to keep people off the railroad tracks and out of harm’s way.
After a vote of 3 to 2, the council will not sign an agreement to put fencing on the upper bluff in Del Mar. But the Mayor said NCTD may put the fencing there anyway.
Most of those who called in to Monday’s Special Meeting were against the licensing agreement, saying accidents rarely happen in that area and most importantly, a new fence would put an eroding bluff at even more risk.
“Del Mar residents stand to lose so much but more importantly than that, we stand to lose this heritage of this beautiful CA coast," said one caller.
“Construction activity will compromise the integrity of the bluffs and accelerate, make worse the erosion and collapses,” said another caller.
Del Mar Mayor Dwight Worden and Councilman Dave Druker voted for the agreement, saying NCTD owns the rights to the land and can put fencing on the upper bluff even if the council doesn’t approve of it.
“I see this agreement as an insurance policy. If the Coastal Commission cannot get them to back off then we know what it’s going to be. It isn’t going to be a six-foot chain link fence and that is I think the most important thing that we ensure our public," Druker said.
The fencing proposed in the agreement would include 44-inch-tall posts, with four 42-inch cables. The licensing agreement would have also left Del Mar on the hook for 750k to install the fencing, while NCTD pays the other half.
“A fence is being put on the upper bluff for safety when there’s never been a safety issue. Why waste tax dollar money putting something up that would have no impact on something that doesn’t exist,” said Councilmember Tracy Martinez.
Mayor Worden says he still supports having NCTD go before the Coastal Commission and closely examining an analysis of the long-term impact the fencing could have on the bluffs.
“That is their right to require projects like NCTD’s to come through the Coastal Commission to determine whether it complies with the Coastal Act,” Worden said.
There was no further discussion of the vote at the end of tonight’s meeting, but some of the callers said they’re willing to sue NCTD to keep the fencing from going up.
WATCH RELATED: North County Transit District votes to add fence along Del Mar train tracks (Jan 2022).