Del Mar City Council reaffirms guiding principles, appoints council liaisons for Shores park master plan

The Del Mar City Council voted Sept. 8 to establish an ad-hoc advisory committee for the Shores Park master plan, in addition to reaffirming the guiding principles as the process continues.

Del Mar Mayor Terry Gaasterland and Councilmember John Spelich will serve as council liaisons to the ad-hoc committee, which will consist of five voting members and two nonvoting members who represent The Winston School and the Del Mar community building.

The city purchased the 5.3-acre Shores property in 2008.

Since then, the city has previously completed two phases of the process: Phase 1 included a site inventory with surveys and community workshops to determine how to best use the area, resulting in a July 2015 report to the City Council. Phase 2 included concept designs that included The Winston School,  which is located on the property, but the process was complicated by a legal dispute between the school and city over the terms of the school’s lease. The two sides came to terms on an amended lease in 2023, which included 18 parking spots for the school to use during school hours and for general public use during non school hours.

“The City must also consult with Winston during the planning for any proposed development of the parking areas or the athletic field, as The Winston School is entitled to continued use of turf and sport court spaces as part of their Lease,” according to a council agenda report.

The guiding principles include ensuring “a beautiful and peaceful neighborhood park environment,” providing a “gardenesque” and sustainable park setting, and accommodating The Winston School’s activities and programming.

Several members of the Del Mar Historical Society advocated for the Alvarado House, which dates back to the late 1800s, to be part of the master plan.

“Del Mar is the only city in the San Dieguito region that does not have a permanent building for its Historical Society,” Susanne Stevenson, a member of the Del Mar Historical Society, wrote in an email to the city. “There is no place where Del Mar’s school children can visit a living museum of the kind of home where kids like them used to live in the ‘olden days.’ There is no place where visitors can drop in to a living history museum to learn about Del Mar’s unique story as they stroll through the town on a holiday. We have no place to display and share the many colorful and unique artifacts of Del Mar’s past.”