CA Residents Object To Proposed Hotel Complex

DEL MAR, CA— A revised plan to build a hotel and condominium complex at the northern entry to Solana Beach was met with criticism recently at a workshop held at the in the Del Mar Hilton, according to a report in the North County Times. The new proposal for the Solana Gateway Hotel & Villas development calls for constructing an 80-room hotel and a 21-unit condominium complex in two separate buildings on a now-barren triangular property between Highway 101 and the coastal rail line south of San Elijo Lagoon. The plan was presented at the first of three workshops put on by the developer, Magellan Real Estate Investments. The latest proposal adds a bistro-style restaurant to the project. Residents reportedly object to the three-story height of the proposed property which would block their views of the ocean. According to the North County Times report, Magellan and another investment group bought the property for $2.85 million in 1996. The report noted that the plan calls for building a hotel with room rates of $119 to $199 a night during peak lodging seasons and $99 to $139 during off-peak times. The new development plan calls for constructing less than 100,000 square feet of structures, compared to 121,000 square feet in Magellans original project proposal that was abandoned in March. Additionally, the number of hotel units has been reduced to 80 compared to 115 in the original plan. Magellans new plan also would increase the number of condo units from 19 to 21, but their size would be reduced from 3,000 to 1,900 square feet each, according to the North County Times report.